


Omega

by LSTF_TJ



Series: Nothing Like This [1]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Developing Relationship, Drama, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Lesbian Sex, Lesbians in Space, No Lesbians Die, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:54:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 68,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23209606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LSTF_TJ/pseuds/LSTF_TJ
Summary: Admiral Janeway’s plan to get Voyager home from the Delta Quadrant backfired on a monumental scale. Voyager is now lost in an unknown region of space. The ship has been under near constant assault from an unknown species and battles with mutiny among the Maquis members of the crew. Seven struggles to rescue the Captain and the crew fights to save their own and find a way home.
Relationships: Kathryn Janeway & Seven of Nine, Kathryn Janeway/Seven of Nine
Series: Nothing Like This [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1705744
Comments: 62
Kudos: 108





	1. We Should Be Home

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: There is some violence and a near non-con situation.  
> Also it is important to note that all of the non-sense with Chakotay and Seven's relationship in the last season of Voyager is being completely ignored.  
> This is my first attempt at fanfic so all comments are welcome.

_Damn it, why hadn’t it worked._ Chakotay thought to himself as he mulled about Voyager’s bridge.

 _We should be home now, where the hell are we._ _Admiral Janeway must have miscalculated her theory to get us home_. He swore to himself, he cursed Janeway for once again stranding them in deep space. Part of him fully aware that if this hadn’t happened, if they’d made it to the Alpha Quadrant, made it to Earth, he could very well find himself saddled with a lengthy stay in the brig.

Unknown to Chakotay and the rest of the crew, when Admiral Janeway arrived at the borg Unicomplex the Borg Queen was aware of her plan. She assimilated the Admiral and neutralized the neurolytic pathogen. Voyager was pulled into one of the borg’s transwarp conduits and thrown into a region of space where they could never hope to make it home; Where they couldn’t interfere with the Borg Queen’s plans again.

There were no planets to guide them, no other starships in sight, and they had been assaulted for some months by a species they could not see nor hope to fight. Chakotay struggled to keep a level head. Voyager was barely being held together. Crew members had been taken. Each attack drained a little bit more hope from the crew.

 _Even the Borg doesn’t know where we are_ he thought glancing at the viewscreen out into the vast nothingness.

Tuvok and Seven had insisted that they were just slightly out of phase with this other species. They believed that slight off set in time was what was allowing the _Ravagers_ , as they called them, to grab crew members and destroy bits and pieces of Voyager.

They had taken to calling this region of space Omega, due to what they could only describe as background Omega radiation. The puzzling bit is that all of their sensors indicated that there were no omega particles yet they were receiving data on omega radiation.

Only the Senior staff was aware that the Ravagers had been in contact with the Voyager. Chakotay held back some of his own discussions with the Ravagers even from his senior staff.

 _It’s for their own good,_ he told himself, _they wouldn’t be able to make some of the hard decisions I’ve made._ He shook his head to clear the thoughts that kept creeping back in.

He felt uncomfortable with some of the trades he made to keep them safe. The most recent he hoped would get them home.

 _At least tell us how to navigate out of this god forsaken place_ he thought dropping down into the Captain’s chair slamming his fist down on the arm.

“Paris” Chakotay called “Anything _at all_ on the sensors?”

“Not a thing” Tom Paris replied with a dead toneless voice.

“Very well, I’ll be in my ready room” Chakotay replied, turning with his head down and storming off the bridge.

“Very well, CAPTAIN” Tom replied with disdain at having to refer to Chakotay as captain, when he refused even the attempt at rescuing Tom’s wife.

Chakotay slunk down onto the couch in the ready room sighing and putting his head in his hands.

He briefly thought about whether or not he had done the right thing for his ship, for his crew, and he certainly did not do the right thing for Kathryn.

 _What choice did I have, they would have destroyed us_. He clenched his fists, a brief, intense flash of anger overcame him.

 _That damn Borg ruined it and Kathryn, she’d have me in the brig... This was the only way._ He let his head drop back. He stared up at the ceiling and let his thoughts slip back to his mistake. His real reason for trading the unconscious Captain Janeway to the Ravagers.


	2. Chakotay's Mistake

Chakotay had gone to Kathryn’s quarters that night intending to profess his love for the Captain. He feared when they arrived back in the Alpha Quadrant she’d be spirited off away from him and he didn’t intend to let his chance slip by again.

Chakotay pressed a meaty finger to the button on the side of the door. Chiming inside the Captains Quarters.

“Come” Kathryn called.

The doors slipped open with a swoosh.

He stepped inside, his hands tucked firmly behind his back, suddenly feeling very unsure.

“Yes, Chakotay” Kathryn looked up, coffee in one hand, padd in the other. Her eyebrows raised.

“Do you wish to discuss the Admiral’s plans?” she asked.

He could see the dark bags under her eyes, he wondered how long it had been since she had slept.

“No, I’m here for…” he paused taking a cautious controlled breath. “personal reasons.”

He tried to read the expression behind her enticing steel gray-blue eyes but could not.

“Then by all means” Kathryn unfolded her legs, set the padd down on the table in front of her and patted the couch beside her.

“Kathryn..” He started realizing how nervous he was now that he was within arm’s length of _his_ captain. His hands were sweating, he shut his eyes and turned his head from her trying to compose himself. He knew he had to tell her his feelings now or he’d lose her for sure when they arrived at Earth. There would be no more late night dinners, no further chances to slip into her ready room under of the guise of needing advice.

 _It was now or never_ he sighed.

“Some part of me wishes we never found the cure _”_ He started shakily then clenching his jaw with new found resolve.

“I am in love with you Kathryn…” He paused gulping in a deep breath

“I know if we had stayed, we could have had a good life.” He paused again trying to read her eyes. She gave no indications as to how she felt.

“I could have provided for you, given you children. It would have been simple and primitive but you were right there, I could feel it, on the edge of giving into that life” solid resolve and steel eyes stared back at him, not even a flinch, she just waited for him to continue.

“We kissed, we nearly made love, and we haven’t so much as” he stopped again, clenching his teeth together and slamming his eyes shut. “Tried to so much as acknowledge what happened on that planet.”

His heart beat faster; he could feel anger and bile bubbling up in his chest and throat. “You act as if you have completely blocked it from your memory.. and Kathryn I see the way you look at that damn borg, when you think no one is watching. When you look at her I am looking at you!” his voice rising.

“She’s not me, she can’t give you what I can.” He finished with resolve he turned to her with fire in his eyes the vein in his forehead bulging.

“Chakotay, I can’t” she sighed. “I don’t know where to start” she said softly.

She turned from him; he loved the way her short red hair fell around her face, almost sparkling.

“I am sorry but I’m not the woman you hold me out to be” She glanced at him with sympathy in her eyes.

“I am an explorer, I am a traveler. We have gotten to see things, meet species, take part in monumental events that people in the Alpha Quadrant couldn’t even dream of.” She paused, very aware that her first officer was becoming more agitated with each word but she _had to_ say this to him now, he had to hear it.

“I am not a simple housewife, I could not be, nor would I ever derive happiness from it” She looked down at her star fleet issue shoes, feeling every ounce of shame for even allowing Chakotay to kiss her.

“I am so very sorry dear friend.” She took his hand and sandwiched it between her own.

“I had a moment of weakness, I had a moment where I believed with every bit of my being that we were lost to Voyager. I had a moment where I thought we were lost to everyone but you and I. In that brief moment I accepted your intimacy and your love for me...” sighing again she continued

“I had a moment where I lost hope. However briefly, I grasped at the only hope in front of me. But if you recall I stopped it before we went too far. I told you we would return to Voyager and I would still be your Captain” She stopped her chest filling with regret.

“So that’s it?” His anger building

“I was convenient because I was there?” he nearly shouted

“Yes, Chakotay, and I am sorry I allowed myself to be weak, but while I am the Captain I am still human.” Her eyes filled with sadness.

“It’s her!“ he barked, unable to process that the Captain felt their intimacy could have been a mistake.

“Who, what do you mean? Seven?” she inquired straightening her uniform and her face tightening back into her Captains facade.

“Yes, ever since she came aboard you have been distant, obsessed with her even.” His eyes showed a deeper anger than the Captain had ever seen from him. He slipped off the couch and knelt at her feet. He took each of her hands in his and looked up at her. She winced at the touch and tried to pull her hands back but he held tightly.

“Chakotay, she is my friend. I care as much for her as I do any member of this crew. She has needed” Kathryn struggled to find the right words.

“More attention because she is still finding her humanity. And I freed her from the borg, it’s my responsibility to make sure she has the attention she needs to find her voice. I have on occasion marveled at the woman she is becoming because I recognize how very far she has come.”

“You love her” he spat.

“Commander, you will leave my quarters this instant. When you are ready to discuss this like a civilized adult I would be more than happy to speak with you.” She announced with as much authority as she could muster. She tried harder to jerk her hands from his, but he clamped down harder.

“Chakotay, you are hurting me, please let go” she pleaded

His forearms flexed gripping harder to keep her from pulling away from him again.

“Kathryn you can’t tell me you don’t feel this… between us” his voice rising again to a near shout.

“Say it!” he growled “Tell me you love me, you can’t say it meant nothing to you!” he pushed his body up and forced her back against the couch. “let yourself feel it.” He whispered breathlessly, angrily, nearly violent into her ear, dragging his lips down her neck.

“Commander! Control yourself, this isn’t you” Kathryn struggled against his weight, suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation she found herself in. She dug the heel of her shoes down against his thighs and tried to swing her loose arm at his head.

He caught it and pinned her back down. He struggled with her clothes trying to rip at her uniform, straddling her he used his size to immobilize her. He struggled to catch his breath.

“What do you mean to do Chakotay, do you think raping me will make me love you?” she yelled fighting back at the larger man as hard as she could. He tore her uniform pants and ripped open her jacket. 

He brought his mouth down against hers trying to probe with his tongue. She forced her head far back, and away from his. Then she took his distraction as an opportunity to land a very well place kick into his crouch. He recoiled falling away from her.

 _Red Alert_ the ships system called out. A bright flash of light. It felt as though the ship were coming down around them. A beam crashed down into the Captains quarters striking Janeway in the head. She lay bleeding on the floor. Chakotay stood, looked around trying to make sense of what had just happened. He straightened his uniform and with a brief flash of guilt looking at the Captains beaten body, exited her quarters and headed for the bridge.

The Captain, to his relief, had remained unconscious for a couple of weeks. The Doctor insisted on keeping her in a sort of medically induced coma to ensure that her neurological patterns stabilized before she was back on her feet otherwise he feared she would suffer from extreme memory loss.

“Chakotay!” Tuvok said loudly to shake the acting Captain back to reality. “We require power from the synthesizers and I recommend we pull the power from the cargo bays if are to restart the warp core do you concur?”

“Yes, let’s get the warp core back online” Chakotay proclaimed, again racked with guilt for what he had tried to do to the Captain, and the circumstances that put him at the helm of this Starship. _No matter_ he told himself pushing his feelings down deep _I command Voyager now and I’ll be the one to get us home._


	3. Seven's Lessons

“Bridge-Seven” the com system beeped.

“Yes?” Chakotay called back annoyed at the repeated interruptions from Seven.

“Commander, I think I’ve figured out how to put us in phase with the Ravagers.” Her borg mesh hand typing furiously at her astrometrics console.

_No response_

She paused “I’ve found a planetary system a few light years from here where they may be holding our crew members” she stated matter-of-factly.

“Seven, we’ve discussed this. We are limping, short of crewmen, barely holding our ship together. We can’t afford to make an ill-fated rescue mission. As I’ve said before our focus is finding our way out of this god-forsaken place” he shot back, his voice full of irritation. “And in the future, it’s Captain.”

“CAPTAIN, Captain Janeway would not leave a crew member behind, I think we should consider…”

“That’ll be all Seven.” He cut her off typing a command into the console to the right of the Captain’s chair to cut off the com system to astrometrics.

Tuvok standing at the console behind him raised an eyebrow trying to understand the exchange.

 _He does not understand the value in her logic, why is he so..._ _dismissive._ Tuvok puzzled.

_-_

Some part of Seven _knew_ Kathryn was still alive out there. Some part of her had always been in tune with Kathryn. She knew that she had to find the Captain. Kathryn had risked her life, her ship, her crew over and over again to save Seven, even when Seven didn’t know she needed to be saved. Seven _must_ do the same.

Seven’s mind wandered back to the Captain. The last several weeks they had spent discussing dating protocols. Seven had assimilated all the knowledge the Doctor was able to provide regarding human interaction and Seven wanted more.

After another losing round of Velocity Seven had asked Kathryn to spend additional time with her on the holodeck and teach her about “dating”. How does it work, how should she act, what she expect, Seven had inquired. She had many desires she was unsure of how to fulfill and she trusted no one more than the Captain to teach her.

Their first outing had been a simple picnic. Kathryn rolled out a blanket in soft grass on a planet with three suns, pink sky, birds chirping happily in the trees surrounding the clearing they sat in. She provided acceptable rations, a sweet wine, chocolate, and a savory barbecued meat Seven had never tasted. Seven had relished in these new tastes. She learned that chocolate was a very acceptable food.

Kathryn explained to Seven all the nuisances of dating. She spoke about body language and expectations. She told Seven never to feel pressured to do something she wasn’t ready to do, regardless of the situation. Seven soaked up the attention from Kathryn something about the way Kathryn’s lips moved and the passion with which she spoke stirred up feelings in her stomach that she had once heard Naomi Wildman refer to as butterflies. The way Kathryn’s face looked in the setting suns was _Stunning_ Seven said to herself suddenly unsure of whether or not she had said it aloud. Seven found her breath catching in her throat, at the time she wasn’t sure what all of these feelings meant.

A few lessons later they found themselves in a more formal setting. Seven had chosen a satin dress emerald in color; it fell just above her knees, one of the wide shoulder straps draped loosely off her left shoulder.

Seven entered the holodeck, now a ballroom of sorts. Colors danced along the walls. Soft music played. Her eyes caught Kathryn’s through the holo-crowd. The Captain wore a thin strapped, red dress that fell low on her back, the v neck exposed just a touch of cleavage that Seven felt her eyes draw immediately into. The heels she wore made her nearly as tall as Seven. Seven could not take her eyes off of the older woman.

She swiftly moved onto the dance floor and through the crowd capturing the Captains hand in her own. “Teach me” Seven said softly.

“Take this hand” Kathryn offered her right hand. “Put this one on my waist” Kathryn replied gently.

They moved slowly to the beat of the music. Seven kept moving her body closer to the Captain, enticed by her scent. She slowly moved her face close to Kathryn’s ear.

“What’s next?” Seven asked trying to hide her arousal at feeling Kathryn’s body pressed so closely to hers.

“We dance, enjoy each other’s company. Assuming this is a first date, maybe a kiss. But that all depends on what you feel.” Kathryn answered assuming this was still a part of their lessons.

“What if I feel like the mate I want is you?” Seven raised her borg eyebrow and cocked her head gently to the side.

“Then you tell your partner, and I suppose, hope for the best. There is no telling how one may react to that revelation. However if it is someone YOU find yourself attracted to I can’t possibly imagine that they would be upset with that news. You are a gorgeous young woman” Kathryn answered feeling the heat come to her cheeks. Seven’s mouth twitched with a slight grin at Kathryn’s blush.

“What if the attraction I expressed were focused on you? What would be _your_ reaction” Seven asked more directly.

“Well” a deep burgundy colored Kathryn’s cheeks. “I have never dated another woman so it is hard to say” Kathryn did her best to pull her Captains mask back up over her face.

“What if I stated I wanted to…” Seven paused searching for the correct words “Make love to you”

Janeway nearly gulped. _Get a grip Kathryn_ she had thought, _She’s here for guidance._

“ I have uh..” Kathryn collected herself. “never been with a woman. Not to say I wouldn’t consider” she laughed. “But honestly Seven.. to be completely honest.. I’ve never..” Kathryn stopped short of a deep confession.

Seven still held her dangerously close. “Are you damaged?” Seven asked her borg hearing honing in on the rapid thumping of Kathyrn’s heart.

“I’m fine Seven. I am going to tell you something and if you mention it to another soul I will deny every bit of it. But it is my honest belief…” she took a deep breath

“My traditionalist family instilled a strong belief in me; I don’t believe that sex should ever be accompanied by anything other than a strong love for your partner. I’ve never…” Kathryn started again collecting her thoughts.

“Loved someone... not in the way that I would allow them such intimate access to my body” Kathryn sighed “On that front dear I am sadly inexperienced. You may wish to consult other crew members to assimilate knowledge on that subject.” Kathryn grimaced slightly wishing she could provide more mentorship on the topic to the young, beautiful, blond Borg.

“You have never engaged in coitus?” Seven shifted her head to the side puzzled.

“No, I’ve never felt that I loved deeply enough to trust someone with my body.” Kathryn averted her eyes from Seven’s intense surprised gaze. “Call me old fashion maybe that’s why Mark left me, sure I’ve fooled around, never with a woman...” Kathryn babbled, she felt the heat spreading across her face, her ears suddenly feel as though they were burning.

“I understand that some Earth cultures believe that certain _intimacy_ is best saved for after marriage is that what you mean when you say _old fashioned,_ Kathryn?”

“Yes... or no, it’s not marriage that I have put up on a pedestal. It is the sanctity of my own body and mind. You see Seven… Deactivate all holodeck characters besides the bartender” Kathryn pulled from Seven and led her to a nearby table, as the crowd blinked out of sight, music still playing softly.

“Bartend, Whiskey- neat” Kathryn called out.

The bartender gracefully saddled over to Kathryn a single glass of whiskey in the center of his tray. His tuxedo tail flapping as he walked. “Your drink, Ma’dam” he spoke offering the glass to Kathryn.

“Thank you, Seven?” Kathryn shifted her glance to the woman sliding into the chair across the candlelit table from her.

“I am fine Captain, please continue” she indicated intently, hanging on Kathryn’s every word.

“Just after I joined Starfleet, my father died. I was very depressed. I didn’t take very good care of myself and put myself in a situation where I honestly believed I was in love with a man that was very manipulative and emotionally abusive to me.” She averted her eyes from Seven, not wanting to see any sympathy behind those cerulean blue eyes, she didn’t want anything to change Seven’s lofty opinion of her.

“One day he tried to strike me and I almost let him, because he loved me and I loved him, maybe I deserved to be treated that way for upsetting him. That thought scared the hell out of me more than anything has, I left him that day. I went back to my family’s farm in Indiana and didn’t get out of bed. I had lost my father and what could I really be worth to have allowed someone to treat me that way.” She blinked back tears forming beneath her eye lids.

“My sister Phoebe forced me to face it all and after some in depth Starfleet counseling I swore to myself I would never fully commit unless I was sure. And maybe that is a silly thought to have but for me that meant that ultimate act of love and passion would only happen, if and when I was sure.” A tear slipped down her cheek. She gulped down the whiskey in her glass. “Bartend, another” she called waving the small glass in the air.

“I did not know Captain, I certainly didn’t intend to… force you to relive...”

“Seven” Kathryn interrupted reaching across the table and taking Seven’s surprisingly warm borg mesh hand in her own. “It’s okay, I am fine, I have had years to cope. I only told you because I felt it was relevant.”

Kathryn shook her head as though she were shaking those old feelings off “Moving on!” she announced resolutely.

“Was there anything else, Seven?” Kathryn took another sip of whiskey, leaned back against the leather cushioned chair, and regained her composure.

“Fooled around?” Seven raised both eyebrows, content with the subject change. She didn’t like to consider that someone, _anyone,_ would harm Janeway. It made her blood boil.

“Foreplay I suppose is a more exact term” Kathryn’s eyes cleared, the blush returning to her cheeks.

“Foreplay is normally engaged in as a preface to coitus, if that were not fulfilled- why engage in it?” Seven wondered

“Well, a lady still has needs and desires. I am not made of stone, Seven.” Kathryn laughed.

“And love? I’ve read novels and questioned the Doctor on the topic and there is no” Seven cocked her head to the side “succinct and widely agreed upon definition of the phenomenon” she finished.

The intensity of expression Seven wore across the small table made Kathryn feel as though Seven was looking through her or into her.

“Love is not a phenomenon, it just is. It’s understanding that you cannot do without the other person, love is trusting that they would act in your best interest even if you aren’t there. Romantic love is where my knowledge fails, don’t get me wrong I have cared for lovers in the past but it was not the way I expected it to feel. Call me a romantic but I expect that when it’s there it is like a fire burning inside you. The fire doesn’t burn you but it burns inside you when you aren’t touching that other person. You feel whole with your partner, like there was something missing before this. You can’t imagine a day without at least a soft sweet embrace.” Kathryn’s steel blue eyes twinkled.

Seven sat staring at her hands on the white cotton table cloth for a moment, considering the Captain’s words.

“I believe I feel, romantic love for you.” Seven caught Kathryn’s gaze. “I desire the feelings that accompany your touch. I have pondered whether those feelings would rise; generate new sensations if I were to press my lips to yours. When you have described your lover Mark to me it generated a feeling I understand to be jealousy. Jealousy at the thought that another could have produced in you that desire to be touched. I don’t ever wish to be without your company Kathryn” Seven’s eyes darted back and forth between Kathryn’s acutely aware that Kathryn’s pulse was increasing and Kathryn’s blushed deepened.

Janeway had on occasion been aware that she was most attracted to women but had never explored it. On the relationship front she had stuck to what she knew, what was expected of her. Relationships had never been her priority she had more often than not throughout her life been driven by her passion to explore and learn. Her passions centered around Starfleet and in commanding Voyager, Voyager had been her lover. 

“Seven, I saved you darling.” Kathryn replied earnestly.

“I have been here every step of the way to help you on your journey to becoming an individual. Please consider that you may have misconstrued that gratitude to be something deeper. I do not ever want you think that my kindness requires a return payment of some sort. I simply want you to have the chance that the rest of us have been afforded. And Seven please know that the value of being an individual is that YOU decide who is allowed intimacy, YOU determine if another is worthy of your affection, and at any point in any exchange you wish to withdraw that consent it is your right as an individual to do so. If they protest to your withdrawn consent, they aren’t worthy of your affection” Some part of Kathryn realized how very accustomed she had become to spending every minute off duty with Seven had felt less like a responsibility to help the young woman and more like a pleasure to be able to be the confidant that was there to watch a Borg blossom into a wonderfully kind, considerate, stunning woman.

“Kathryn, I do not feel I am required to give you something in return for your kindness. I do however _want to_. When I am close to you my heartbeat increases immeasurably and my hands perspire. When we danced, to be in such close proximity to you generated a state of arousal I had no knowledge I was equipped to feel until now.” Seven stood walking around the table to stand above Kathryn relaxed in her chair.

Seven leaned down closing the distance between Kathryn’s face and her own. Kathryn gasped at the feeling Seven’s breath against her lips. “Would it be acceptable if I kissed you?” Seven whispered

Kathryn’s breath caught in her throat. She reached up to and ran a silky hand across the blonds face.

“Please… please do” Kathryn croaked barely able to form the words. Every inch of her body responding to the heat she felt with Seven’s body so very close to her own. She without thinking pushed her toes down and slid the chair away from the table to allow Seven full access to her body.

Seven leaned in gently and pressed her lips to the Captains. Kathryn’s mouth parted. Feeling the smooth soft lips slide across hers and Seven’s tongue gently caressing her own she found herself wanting to probe deeper. She slipped her hands into the small of Seven’s back and guided her down onto her lap. Seven spun her body hips clamping down on either side of her Captain’s. She pushed forward further to press her lips harder to Kathryn’s. She leaned back and lowered her head to reach Kathryn’s neck, she hungrily kissed from Kathryn’s clavicle to her ear. She took the lobe of Kathryn’s ear into her mouth closing her teeth gently to pull slightly and whispered “Please, Kathryn I would very much like to make love to you.”

Kathryn leaned her head back from Seven to see her eyes. _How many nights have I have fantasied about this_ Kathryn thought her heart jumping into her throat. Desire burned through Seven's deep cerulean eyes. Kathryn nearly melted into her arms. She couldn’t deny the heat she felt for Seven.

“Seven” Kathryn said with a moan feeling the Borg on her lap shift her pelvis toward the Captain grinding down into her own and strong arms encircling her. Seven pulled the Captain towards her, delighting at the feeling of Kathryn’s breasts again her own she slunk her head to the side of Kathryn’s and ran her hands down the bare skin of her back. Kathryn’s skin crawled with goosebumps , every nerve in her body screaming for more of Seven’s touch.

“Seven..” Kathryn said breathlessly. “I just need a moment to process these revelations.” Kathryn took a strangled shaky breath.

“Captain have I offended you?” Seven jumped to her feet assuming her normal erect and rigid posture.

“Oh gods no, Seven.” Kathryn jumped up taking Seven’s hands.

“I find it impossible to fully consider the weight of what you have told me today or actually have _any_ rational thoughts with you, against me...” Kathryns cheeks blushed deeply and she took another shaky breath.

“1800 hours tomorrow, meet me back here Seven.” Kathryn put her nearly steaming right hand to Seven’s cheek, cradling it. “Just allow me this evening to think or relish or _hell_ I don’t know maybe consider how I am going to break it to or brag to the rest of the crew that is crawling over one another to vie for your attention, that I have caught your eye. “ Kathryn smiled widely.

 _Chirp Chirp_ “Bridge to Captain Janeway” Tuvok voice called from Kathryn’s com badge. “Someone is here to see you”

“Who is it” Janeway answered

“It’s you or.. Admiral Janeway.” Tuvok responded confounded by the person that stood in front of him.

“I know, you must go. 1800 hours tomorrow it is a date” Seven said looking down into the Captains eyes and feeling a sudden loss when Kathryn turned to exit the holodeck.

That was the last time Seven had seen the Captain, awake at least. After the attack that pulled them into the Omega Quadrant she had gone to Medbay each evening. She sat quietly at the bedside of the unconscious Janeway allowing her one small glimmer of hope to be that she could still hear the Captains heart beating.

Then there was the one terrible day. The Doctor explained to the Senior staff that he was going to revive the Captain. Seven found her way to Medbay to be greeted by Neelix and Tom Paris who stood anxiously beside the Captain’s biobed.

“Shall we?” The Doctor called hypospray in hand. He injected the Captain. Seven’s heart jumped as she watched Captain Janeways eyes dart back and forth under closed eyelids.

Janeways eyes opened groggily as she went to speak the four anxious crew members watched her fade from slight in a glimmer of light.

“What happened?!” Seven yelled, slamming her fists down onto the now empty biobed.

“I don’t know Seven, she’s just _gone_ ” The Doctor said with wide eyes, tricorder in hand.

-

“Seven!” A voice called snapping her attention back to astrometrics. Tom Paris stood just inside her work space.

“You really think you can get everyone back?” he said hopefully

“Yes Lieutenant ” Seven typed a command into the console in front of her to bring up her research.

“Interesting” he replied pouring over her data “I think Chakotay is hiding something from us, I think we need to get the Senior staff together and talk about what you have found. Maybe consider a radical regime change”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Corrected a bit of confusing language between Seven and Janeway.


	4. Lost and Delirious

Captain Janeway struggled to open her sluggish eyes. “Uhhh” she groaned. Drenched in sweat she slowly attempted to lift her body off of what felt like a hard metal platform. To her dismay she found her hands cinched together at her wrists, legs secured to the platform at her ankles. Her head throbbed she lifted her hands to her head and felt the swollen remains of a partially healed wound. _Am I on Voyager… What is this…_ she thought. She tried to clear her head but all she could focus on was the severe pain throbbing through her head.

“P’takh!” a voice yelled. “Let me out of here this minute!” the voice bellowed. “The second I’m free from these bindings I am going to rip every single one of your limbs from their sockets!!” Janeway recognized the voice immediately.

“B’Elanna, is that you?” she called trying to make out any details in the dimly lit room.

“Captain?!” B’Elanna responded surprised.

“Yes, it’s me. Where are we? Why am I tied up?”

“It’s a very long story, things were touch and go there for a minute with you. I am very happy to hear your voice, I was afraid that you had passed when these p’takh’s took me.”

“I’m happy to hear a familiar voice as well, but where are we. What is this place? Who took us?” Kathryn groaned rubbing her head with her bound hands.

“That’s right you don’t have any idea what’s happened. Your plan or rather Admiral Janeway’s plan must have failed, the Borg knew or… well I don’t know.” B’Elanna explained

She explained to Kathryn that they had been pulled into a Sector of space even Seven had no familiarity with and that they were under attack for weeks with Janeway unconscious in the medbay.

“The Ravager’s they came to us, they requested supplies. We hadn’t been able to adjust our sensors to even be able to see their approach. We couldn’t meet their requests. We would have been dead in space. I guess that wasn’t enough. People started disappearing from the ship. I was working down in engineering when I saw some sort of blip in the power to our shields. It was brief, but suspicious. I tried to track where it had come from. Moments later I found myself here.” B’Elanna explained.

“Do we know what they want, why have they taken _us_?” Janeway called back.

“From what I’ve been able to gather their females have suffered some sort of widespread plague. They required more for _mating_.” B’Elanna replied. Janeway could hear her struggling to tear the restraints.

From what Kathryn could tell they were separated by a single wall. She could make out the faint shadows of bars in front of her.

“They only took women from Voyager” B’Elanna continued. “I briefly saw the Wildman’s before I was forced into this damned cage. They’ve been injecting us with something, I imagine you are feeling the effects by now. I feel the same as I did when Vorik shared his damned pon farr with me.”

“Only women? Do you know who else they took? Miral??” Kathryn inquired.

“No, or I don’t know. She was with Tom. They injected me with a paralytic and chained me when I first arrived. I only saw Ensign Wildman and her daughter. If they took my daughter I swear I will dismember every damn one of these lizards.” B’Elanna yelled back continuing to struggle with the chains.

“And these injections? I feel feverish, aggressive, perhaps a bit _aroused_. Is that what you experienced?” Kathryn called back looking at her bindings, trying to figure a way out, sweat soaking her uniform.

“Yes, I’ve heard them talking and from what I gather they require mating to be consensual for a child to be produced. As I understand it we’ve been injected with some serum that means either we accept their males as mates or as with pon farr our cortical levels will become imbalanced and when our serotonin shuts down we will die. But the ship will come for us, it’s been at least 2 weeks since I was taken I’m sure Tom and Chakotay are working on a way to bring us back.” B’Elanna sounded almost hopeful.

“It may be on us to figure a way out of here.” Kathryn responded remembering the incident immediately prior to being knocked unconscious.

“They’ll come for us Captain. We’ve never left anyone behind” B’Elanna answered.

“If Chakotay has taken Command of Voyager, I have my doubts. He may not want to rescue us or well _me_ for that matter”

“Of course they will come for us, I trust Chakotay with my life he wouldn’t leave us to be enslaved by these Ravagers”

“B’Elanna” Kathryn paused, feeling repulsed at the memory of Chakotay hands tearing at her clothes. “Before we were pulled into the Omega Quadrant, Chakotay came to my quarters. He professed his love to me and when” she took a deep breath. “When I didn’t reciprocate he attacked me” She stopped and worked one hand free of the ropes that tied her hands together.

“He attacked you? That doesn’t sound like Chakotay. Are you sure he wasn’t under the influence of.. something… something else?” B’Elanna voice sounded shaky.

“I don’t know B’Elanna but he meant to rape me. If the attack hadn’t come when it did he very well may have.” Kathryn replied her voice dropping.

“It just doesn’t sound like he was acting of his own volition. I’ve never seen him lose control like that. But thinking back…” B”Elanna inhaled deeply.

“The Doctor questioned some of your injuries and the state that you were found in.” B’Elanna finished.

“What do you mean?” Kathryn asked.

“Well, your pants were torn and your jacket was torn. There were bruises on your shoulders, wrists, and a broken rib. But the beam had only struck you in the head. Harry pulled you out himself. The last person that said they saw you was Seven on the holodeck.” B’Elanna responded

 _Gods… Seven._ Kathryn thought. Her arousal climbed. She took a deep breath trying to calm her libido. The memory of Seven pressed against her flooded back into her memory. She had meant to tell Seven that she was ready, She had meant to tell Seven she loved her. _Gods know if I’ll have the chance now_. She thought.

Kathryn worked her other hand free from the rope.

“B’Elanna I think I can get myself free from these restraints. My hands are free already I just need something to unlock the chains on my legs. “What do you know of their security?” She asked

“Well, it seems fairly minimal every six hours or so they come around with more injections. It’s been nearly six since the last injection. So they may be around again soon” B’Elanna answered.

Kathryn struggled to re-wrap her wrists with the rope. She tied them loosely. Laid down flat on her back and waited from the Ravagers to return.

“.5 milligrams for this one” one tall scaly blue and green being called to the another.

The doors to Kathryn’s cell slid open. The being lifted a syringe to her neck. She quickly sprang into action grabbing the syringe and slamming it into the first one’s temple. He fell with a thud in front of her. The second ran into the cell. She quickly swung her hands around its neck and pressed until she felt its body go limp. Dropping the being slowly to the ground she snagged the keys hanging from his belt and unlocked the shackles around her ankles.

“B’Elanna, Let’s go. We need to find a way out of here.” Kathryn slipped the key into the lock of the cell next to hers. She quickly untied and unshackled the Klingon and they ran towards the closest exit B’Elanna knew of.

“I’ve heard them talk of a town a couple kilometers south of here maybe someone will help us get out of here.” B’Elanna yelled never breaking stride.

“Lead the way!” Kathryn yelled back.

They ran. They ran as fast as their legs would carry them. Ravagers had clearly never tried to abduct Starfleet women or they may have had a heavier guard presence. Clear of the prison they stopped a moment to catch their breath.

“Where to?” Kathryn asked

“The town is not far, we just need to figure out what the drugs they injected us with are doing to us. We may need to have sex to resolve the issues with our hormones.” B’Elanna mumbled softly.

“With each other?” The Captain replied surprised, her eyes widening.

“or death.. your preference Captain. Unless you’d prefer a Ravager” B’Elanna raised an eyebrow.

“Let’s see how far we can make it before we are overwhelmed..” Kathryn replied. She brought a dirty hand to her sweat soaked forehead shielding her eyes from the bright sun overhead. She saw what looked to be a small frontier town a few kilometers ahead on the sandy barren planet that stretched as far as she could see in every direction.

“Shall we” B’Elanna said motioning towards the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I neglected to mention B'Elanna's daughter or how B'Elanna knew there was a town near by so I added conversation in to explain.


	5. Seven's Mission

Since the moment Kathryn Janeway disappeared all Seven could think about was getting her back. She would not let anything get in her way. She’d regenerated; but only a few hours here and there. Every time she set her alcove to regenerate all she could think of was that someone could be harming Kathryn. She was distraught.

They’d taken control of Voyager. With a phaser in hand she went to the bridge and demanded Chakotay turn over control of the ship to her. He briefly doubted the severity of the situation but when he drew his own phaser to her surprise Tuvok shot it out of his hand. Harry and Tom put him into custody. Chakotay now sat in the brig.

Seven explained to Tuvok that he needed to be in control of the ship. She was biased. She’d go on a rescue mission for Kathryn no matter what was said. She couldn’t be in control of Voyager because she’d put the entire crew at risk if it meant rescuing the Captain. Tuvok agreed.

They loaded up the Delta Flyer with the newest shield modifications and weapons Admiral Janeway had delivered to Voyager. Seven using Borg ingenuity had devised a method utilizing the ships shields and warp engines to phase both Voyager and the Delta Flyer in and out of the Ravagers timeline every few seconds rendering both ships nearly invisible to the Ravagers.

With a nod Tuvok motioned to the flight deck. He understood that Seven and Tom would not be willing to even attempt to leave this Sector without their missing crew members.

“Voyager, Delta Flyer we are prepared to depart” Seven called

“Very well you are cleared, be safe” Tuvok replied.

"This is the area I found the human life signs she should set down here." Seven announced.

Seven and Tom put the shuttle into a low orbit and transported to the surface. They found themselves less than a kilometer away from a small dusty town.

“Shall we?” Tom asked gesturing to the town in front of them.

“We shall.” She answered raising her borg implant.

They walked through the forest until they came to a dirt road. “The tavern there is probably the best place to.. assimilate information” Tom stated glancing back at Seven.

“Very well, lead the way Lieutenant Paris” she responded.

Inside the tavern Tom slipped into a chair in front of the bar. He pushed the chair to his left back for Seven to sit in, she obliged. None of the Ravagers or other species in the town had taken notice of a human and a Borg walking down their streets. Seven thought it must be normal for them to routinely encounter other species.

“Bartender” Tom called. “We’ll take two shots of the” Tom scanned the oak shelves lining the wall behind the bar. “The blue” He finished looking unsure.

“Good choice, Sir” The bartender grabbed the bottle from the wall and poured a thick, blue, viscous liquid into two very large glasses. The bartender slid them in front of Tom and Seven.

“Excuse me, what is this exactly?” Tom inquired.

“It’s brewed with the finest of tyvaa plants.” The bartender called back. He walked over to stand in front of Seven and Tom. He glanced around the empty bar. His reptilian orange eyes with a red slit down the center made Tom feel very unsettled as they darted back and forth.

“We’re looking for some of our crew” Seven started. “Have you seen anyone that wore uniforms like ours?” she asked.

“Come!” he called to them. He motioned them to a set of heavy wooden doors that led to a small backroom with the flick of long scaly green and blue fingers.

“Take a seat, I am Kyp.” He patted a small table bordered on both sides by booth seats with a red-velvet covering. Kyp stood at least seven feet tall and towered over Tom and Seven. His exposed scales alternated in color from a navy blue to almost teal. He wore loose slacks tied with a rope at the waist and a long sleeve linen white shirt covered in a black apron.

“You are?” He asked

“I am Seven of Nine and this is Tom Paris. I prefer to stand” Seven said standing erect, hands clasped behind her back.

Tom slid into the booth across from Kyp. “What do you know?” Tom asked his soft expression slipping into a serious glare.

“There’s not a lot of time. Two women came in yesterday they identified themselves as Kathryn and B’Elanna. They were in rough shape, dehydrated, dirty, and had no currency with them. I put them up in the room above the bar. It’s rare to see two women or even one woman without a male companion nearby. I knew they were in some sort of trouble. I suspect they escaped from the nearby breeding facility, I don’t like the way our government has chosen to deal with the plague among our women so I gave them a safe place to hide until they gain their bearings.. The soldiers don’t bother me here, they are happy to come in and partake in tyavaa wine, and leave. They don’t generally include my private rooms in their sweeps. Both women are safe above us.” Kyp spoke quickly and pointed a long scaly finger to the ceiling.

“Take us to them!” Seven demanded.

“Wait…” Kyp started, concern settling into his scaly face.

“Listen, I am part of the resistance here, we’ve been fighting to find a cure from the plague, rather than accepting our governments abduction of innocent women from passing ships. I won’t keep you from your friends but you should know they are in trouble. The serum they inject into the women at the breeding facilities necessitates breeding. In our species non-consensual sex will not result in the creation of a child, women have to accept _the process_ if there is any hope for reproduction. As a result the breeding facilities created a cocktail of drugs that activate hormones increasing women’s propensity to engage in these activities and if they don’t consent they will die. They’ve been free from the facility from what I can tell is at right around 36 hours, that gives them only a few hours before the hormonal imbalance becomes deadly. You will have to help them resolve the situation if you want your friends to survive. You have to understand as well that the drugs won’t leave their systems quickly. Once they have _paired_ they cannot be away from their partners until the drugs are clear of their systems. They will risk a relapse if that separation takes place. It may also become necessary for their partners to _pair_ again to alleviate symptoms. Do you understand?” Kyp said standing and moving towards the doors.

“Yes, but Seven I can’t, with the Captain” Tom started with a dumbfounded expression of surprise and fear creeping across his face. 

“There are two of you and two of them, gender is non-consequential” Kyp started.

“Our species women can reproduce with a male or female partner, the imbalance can be resolved with either” Kyp finished. “I’ll show you to their room”

Tom lifted his eyebrow to Seven, she blushed lightly suddenly aware that he knew her intentions.

There was a soft knock at the door. Kathryn lifted her head from the couch she rested on. She poured sweat, every inch of her body screamed for touch. “Yes?” she yelled, her voice dripping with irritation.

“Captain Tom and I are here” Seven replied immediately recognizing Janeways voice.

“We are here to… save you.” Seven finished.

Kathryn’s heart raced she swung the door open to find Seven and Tom standing with concerned looks on both of their faces, they were accompanied by a Ravager. Immediately Kathryn’s eyes swung to the Ravager in tow.

“He has information he needs to share” Seven replied recognizing the Captains concern.

Kathryn stood aside to let all three enter. “B’Elanna” She called to the other room.

B’Elanna rushed to greet Tom. “Thank the gods. How is she?” B’Elanna asked insistently, taking Tom’s face into her hands and pulling him in for a passionate kiss.

“Miral is safe with Neelix.” He replied glancing back and forth from her eyes to Kyp’s.

Kyp explained the situation again to B’Elanna and Kathryn.

“Very well, Kyp thank you for your information. I think we can handle the situation from here” Kathryn responded sweat pouring down her face.

“Please, don’t take this lightly Captain, you WILL die if this situation is not dealt with.” Kyp responded concern dancing across the scales on his face.

“I understand, and I believe our fix has arrived” she said pushing him lightly through the door into the hallway and swinging the door shut behind him.

“Seven, Bedroom” she demanded, leaving B’Elanna and Tom in a lovers embrace on the couch.

Kathryn sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry we missed our date” her eyes met Sevens. She could see the desire burning behind Seven’s cerulean blue eyes.

“It turns out I don’t just want you, I actually need you” Kathryn spoke softly her voice wavering. Watching the breath catch in Seven’s throat. Seven rushed to close the distance between them. She caught Kathryn’s face between her hands

“I understand that this is a necessity but I want it to be everything you have _hoped_ it would be.” Seven said pressing her lips to Kathryn’s.

“I love you Kathryn and not because you rescued me from the borg. Not because you are the Captain. You are one of a kind. A true individual. No other could repeatedly put all others above themselves. Put aside their own wants and needs for the greater good. Briefly there was a part of me that thought I just wanted to be more _like you_. But after a bit of consideration I understand that it is not that at all. I want to be the cause of your happiness. The cause of the noises you make in the night. I love you Kathryn and I want to make love to you to demonstrate the love I feel for you.” Seven said wrapping her arms around Kathryn.

“oh Seven. Please… you know I need it. I can’t imagine it with another. I love you as well. I have loved to see you grow into the woman you have become” Kathryn sighed her face streaked with sweat.

Seven ran her hands down Kathryn’s chest, unbuttoning her blouse. She brought her warm soft lips to Kathryn’s neck. Soft kisses made Kathryn’s hair stand on end.

“Please more…” Kathryn groaned the serum pulsing heavily through her veins. She felt as though she would die if Seven didn’t explore further south.

“Hold my hand Kathryn” Seven whispered breathlessly into her ear.

She grabbed Sevens hand and the other strong hand probed into her uniform pants. Seven lightly slipped a finger inside Kathryn. Kathryn moaned loudly feeling, for the first time, another inside her. Seven struggled for her own breath as she marveled at the wetness she felt sliding along her finger. She wrapped her fingers together, two, then three, as she probed farther into Kathryn.

She pressed her body down hard against Kathryn’s shrugging off her own uniform she found herself naked straddling the partially dressed Captain. Her hand buried deep inside.

“Let’s get rid of these” she said nodding to Kathryn’s clothes.

A few swift motions later Seven found herself straddling the naked Kathryn. She slid her hips up to Kathryn’s and leaned in for a passionate kiss. She found her own wet center pressed against Kathryn’s and ground her pelvis down against Kathryn’s. Feeling the wetness against her own nearly made her explode into her own orgasm.

She rocked her hips back and forth allowing her wetness to slide across Kathryn’s arousing Seven in a way she had never felt before.

“Please Seven, more” Kathryn moaned pleading to feel more of Seven inside her.

Seven rocked her fingers back and forth inside Kathryn. Using her thumb she stimulated her clit, rubbing it in circles.

Kathryn’s breathed heavier and heavier with each thrust.

“Oh yes, Seven, don’t stop” she cried.

Seven captured one of Kathryn’s thighs between her legs. She thrust down against it, loving the feeling of the soft smooth skin against her now dripping wet center.

Seven pumped her fingers a little harder and faster into Kathryn, while grinding up and down against her thigh.

They came together, Seven’s hand dripping with the effects of Kathryn’s orgasm and Kathryn’s thigh absolutely soaked from Seven’s

Kathryn reached a hand around Seven’s neck. “I love you darling and thank you for saving me” she whispered surprised at the depth of her own feelings, tears burning behind her eyes.

“You saved me.” Seven whispered drawing Kathryn into a deep kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a little too excited to explore Kathryn's and Seven's relationship and didn't include enough detail about the Ravagers. I would highly recommend re-reading this Chapter. I completely re-worked it so everything made sense.


	6. Finding what's Lost

“Seven, dear Seven” Kathryn said running her finger tips along her lover’s face. She briefly touched the starburst on Seven’s face.

“Do these hurt you?” She asked looking up at the deep cerulean eyes staring down at her.

“No, they are very sensitive as is the skin around them. “ Seven replied eyebrow raised. “Did I harm you?” Seven inquired noting the tears forming behind Kathryn’s eyes.

“On the contrary love, I am just overwhelmed” Kathryn blinked back tears. “I’ve experienced orgasms before, mostly of my own making. When you’ve been alone as long as I have, you learn the most _efficient_ ways to please yourself” Kathryn laughed.

“But I didn’t imagine, and couldn’t have imagined the depth of what I feel with you. Take it as a compliment darling, your lovemaking brought tears to my eyes” Kathryn swallowed hard and rested her head against Seven’s shoulder.

She relished in the contact between her skin and Sevens. Her legs intertwined with Seven’s, Seven’s arms wrapped tightly across her back, their breasts pressed lightly together. She pressed her lips to Seven’s neck, still craving Seven’s touch, her body swimming with desire.

“I was so afraid” Seven started, her eyes uncharacteristically filling with tears. “That you were lost” Kathryn felt a slight tremble in Seven’s body. “That I would not have the chance to tell you that it is not just gratitude I feel for you, it is a deeper feeling. I have craved your touch, I craved the feeling that spread through my body when my lips were pressed against yours on the holodeck, and more than anything I needed to know you were safe. I wanted to feel you safe..” Seven paused tears streaming more freely. “Safe in my arms.”

“I’m here now darling, right here.” Kathryn took Seven’s hand in her own and brought it to her chest resting it over her heart. Kathryn kissed every inch of Seven’s neck and face she could reach.

With the brief pause in conversation both Kathryn and Seven became aware of the loud noises emanating from the other room. The couch squeaked back and forth across the floor. Moans and groans carried through the wall.

“We’d better stay in here the rest of the night.” Kathryn said grinning up at Seven.

Seven returned a warm smile. “Yes, we better” Seven leaned in kissing Kathryn deeply.

“Besides, I have some plans for you.” Kathryn said desire creeping back across her face.

“Oh? And those are?” Seven asked eyebrow raise.

“Let me show you.” Kathryn said disentangling her limbs for Seven’s she adjusted their position so she sat on top of the Borg.

“I am intrigued” Seven replied with a grin.

Kathryn lifted the sheet and disappeared from sight. Seven groaned feeling Kathryn’s body slide down hers. Kathryn’s breasts sliding down against hers, then down her stomach, lingering in the heat between Seven’s legs. Kathryn’s lips kissing, licking, and nibbling their way down Seven’s body.

Kathryn’s hair tickled Seven’s thighs. Seven gasped when she felt warm breath, lips and tongue pressing against the silky skin of her inner thighs. Kathryn bit lightly then moved her mouth over Seven’s folds. She explored the area with light flicks of her tongue, running her lips over Seven’s clit. Seven gripped at the sheets, her hips flexing against the heat she felt.

“Oh Kathryn, I like these plans, very much” Seven shuddered as she felt the pressure of Kathryn’s tongue against her clit, against her _entrance._ Seven moaned and Kathryn delighted at the light thrusting of Seven’s hips and the trembling of Seven’s body.

Kathryn tossed the sheet to the floor. Seven’s heart beat wildly looking down at Kathryn’s steel gray blue eyes looking up at her from between her legs.

“Is this okay Seven?” Kathryn asked, smiling up at her lover.

“Oh yes, Kathryn please continue.” Seven pleaded. She moaned when Kathryn’s mouth buried itself against her, her tongue slipping inside of Seven. Her tongue pressed hard against Seven’s clit the tip of it sliding in and out of Seven. Seven groaned and bucked, she put her hands in Kathryn’s hair and pulled Kathryn’s head hard against her craving more.

“Please.. I need” Seven started.

As though she read Seven’s mind, Kathryn reached up with her right hand and slipped two fingers inside of Seven. She alternated pressure with her fingers and her tongue.

Hearing Seven’s voice rising, her hips thrusting against Kathryn, body trembling, Kathryn knew was close to her own orgasm. She brought her body up Seven’s to meet her eyes, fingers still thrusting inside. She pressed her lips to Seven’s, tongue probing in Seven’s mouth. She maneuvered her hip behind her hand to thrust harder and felt Seven’s body taken over by orgasm. Kathryn’s only seconds behind.

“I love you Kathryn, I don’t ever wish to be without you again.” Seven said breathlessly.

“I’m yours Seven.” Kathryn replied collapsing on top of Seven.

They both quickly fell fast asleep. The best sleep either had, had in weeks, yet still both very aware of the storm they would have to endure to find their way home.

-

“Captain, Seven!” Tom called at the door.

“Oooh, morning already” Kathryn mumbled disappointed, struggling to unwrap her body from Seven’s.

“Yes, Tom?” She called trying to collect her clothes.

“Kyp is back, he might have a lead on our other crew member and there’s breakfast. Join us when you are decent”. Tom finished. She’d heard a small chuckle from him. She’d have to swear him secrecy about anything he had overheard last night.

“Seven” Kathryn said softly, kissing her lovers cheek.

“mmm, Kathryn” Seven sighed, her cerulean eyes peaking open.

“As much as I’d like to stay in this bed for, well forever, we have to find our missing people and get back to Voyager” Kathryn said in a near whine.

“Very well Captain, as you wish” Seven pushed herself up off the bed her eyes gliding over the naked Kathryn.

“Don’t look at me like that, I’ve been drugged, and one of us needs a touch of self-control” Kathryn said looking back at Seven, a deep blush settling over her cheeks.

“Clothes then?” Seven asked handing the Captain her uniform pants and blouse. Seven slipped back into her biomesh suit.

-

“So Kyp, what do you know about our missing crew members?” Kathryn asked.

Tom, B’Elanna, Seven, Kyp and Kathryn sat gathered around the small table in the apartment above the bar.

“I have some inside contacts at the breeding facilities and I believe only the two of you were at facility 3. They take women there whose DNA is immediately compatible with our own. Facility 1 is where I believe the rest of your crew is. At facility 1 there is a resequencing process that allows them to process women with slight incapabilities.” Kyp said glancing around at the other four.

“But why would I be compatible and not the other humans aboard?” Kathryn asked.

“The information I received says that humans have differing blood types and yours is one of the more rare types that increases the chances of an embryo taking. I assume they studied you and wanted to alter the others to have the same trait.” Kyp replied.

“Where is facility 1?” Seven asked.

“About 50 kilometers to the east of here. It will be tricky to smuggle three women and a human male that far. There are a dozen or so checkpoints between here and there to scan for fertile woman. And with two of you suffering from the breeding serum that will make things much more difficult.” Kyp’s red and orange eyes flicked between them.

“Well, we have our shuttle Delta flyer, the Ravagers haven’t been able to detect it yet.” Tom started.

“Ravagers?” Kyp asked “Is that what you call us?”

“Yes, I apologize but your species has ravaged our ship since we came to this space” Tom replied

“We are the A’crun. This planet is Acrunmoge” Kyp started.

“You would never guess but both the name of our species and the name of the planet mean something along the lines of ‘peace’. So do you think the Delta Flyer could take us there?” Kyp asked

“Yes, no doubt, can you help us find our crew members?” Tom asked

“Anything to get your folks safely out of here I’m game.” Kyp replied

“Don’t you worry about what your people will do to you if they find out you’ve been helping us?” B’Elanna asked suspiciously. 

“As I told you the minute you arrived here I am part of the resistance. Innocent women should not be forced into bearing children for us. Our own women were forced well before they started taking women from any other species we encountered. My sister and my spouse were forced into service by the state before they died. Sadly our governments focus has been on producing more children rather than finding a cure for the plague infecting our women.” Kyp stared down with teary eyes.

“How do we know we haven’t caught this plague?” Kathryn asked.

“I believe it only affects the A’crun. We haven’t had women of other species become afflicted. Please trust me I only mean to get you back to your people. Take me with you to facility 1, I’ll help you get your crew members out and you can be on your way.“ Kyp said earnestly.

“Very well, any other advice you have on dealing with the A’crun?” Kathryn asked.

“They can’t be trusted. They’ve no doubt already tried to make deals with your ship. Don’t trust that they will carry through on any promises. They are singularly focused on bearing immune children, they will take what you have then destroy you.” Kyp kept his eyes pointed downward aware from the others.

“Well, let’s rescue our crew!” Kathryn stated, voice full of resolve.


	7. Into the Fray

“I would like to get back aboard Voyager before we attempt to mount a rescue” Kathryn started.

“It may be helpful to have Voyagers sensors at our disposal to analyze the facility in depth, find a weak spot. Also we need a bit more firepower if we are hoping to fight our way into Facility 1. Kyp, how long will they hold our people before they get transferred to facility 3?” Kathryn asked her eyes meeting the large scaly Kyp’s orange-red eyes.

“Our species has a fairly rudimentary understanding of the resequencing process. Most women live through it but it can be extremely painful. I would say with daily treatments it takes a couple of months at most” he answered.

“When were our people taken?” Kathryn asked her eyes glancing between Seven, Tom, and B’Elanna trying figure out how much time they had before they’d be dealing with a whole host of people afflicted with the A’Crun’s breeding serum.

“It has been 45 days since the first females disappeared from the ship. B’Elanna was taken 37 days ago, the same day Naomi Wildman and Ensign Wildman disappeared. 20 days ago, you were taken.” Seven said flatly trying to blink back the anger spreading across her face.

“Okay, so we have at most 2 weeks before the first females will start being transferred. Maybe we could mount an attack to hit the A’crun when they are transferring the first crew members. Send in two teams. The first hits the convoy in transit while the second grabs the remaining crew members from facility one. If we spread their attention, we could keep them off balance.” Kathryn plotted.

“We should make our way to the Delta Flyer, get back aboard Voyager, and let the crew know I’m still in charge. Tuvok and Harry can help us plan this rescue.” Kathryn announced standing from the small table.

“Wait, Captain.” Kyp started unsure of the best way to convey his most recent Intel.

“I think it’s important that you know, one of my sources came to me last night and told me he’d overheard talk that a deal had been struck between the A’Crun and Voyager.” Kyp finished eyes darting back and forth nervously. He felt a great deal of compassion for these Voyager crew members. A’Crun senses did not allow mind reading per se but he could sense intentions and emotions. His hearts ached for these betrayed members of Voyager.

Kyp thought to himself that he’d known since the moment he saw B’Elanna and Kathryn that they were trustworthy, strong women, both with unimpeachable character. Some part of him knew they would need his help and he would oblige.

“Kyp, do you know anything of the deal?” Kathryn asked.

“This deal, no. But I know what kind of deals the government makes and it’s either for trade or for women. They always promise protection, cessation of hostilities, or navigation assistance. It seems lately a lot of Starships have wound up in this Quadrant, lost. What does Voyager have to offer?” he asked

“Certainly not supplies, I’m betting that fucker traded us.” B’Elanna spat.

“He’s not in command now; we can deal with him when we get back.” Tom said trying to calm the ladies surrounding him.

“Well let’s get to the Delta Flyer.” Kathryn called standing from the small table.

-

Back aboard the Delta Flyer Tom sat at the helm with B’Elanna at his side. Kathryn and Seven had taken the stations directly behind them. Kyp sat hunched over in the back on a bench, his scaly head cocked to the side to keep it from bouncing off the ceiling. His height made it impossible to get comfortable in the small shuttle.

“Voyager - Delta Flyer, permission to dock. I’ve got Captain Janeway and Lieutenant Torres on board.” Tom called over the com system.

“Very well, proceed to docking bay one” A voice called back.

“Wait!” B’Elanna yelled jumping up from her seat as Tom finished inputting the command to dock the Delta Flyer.

“What is it?” he asked startled.

“That voice sounded like Crewman Gerron. Why the hell would he be at the con on the bridge? Something’s wrong.” Her face growing concerned.

“Why the concern with Gerron? We’re all Starfleet now.” He shrugged nonchalantly.

“Gerron is loyal to the Maquis; if Chakotay has taken control of the ship again we are all in for a world of shit. He’s got a very good reason for not wanting us back on the ship. Get us out of here Tom!” She growled.

Seven watched Kathryn’s expression change rapidly from hopeful to hurt then angry as she put her head in her hands. _And I didn’t tell them_ Kathryn thought shaking her head, eyes dropping to the floor, the last thing she wanted to have to tell Seven was what Chakotay had tried to do. She also knew Chakotay had loyal members of the Maquis among the crew. It was foolish of her to think that anyone could hold him in the brig without some sort of uprising.

The lights and controls blinked out in the Delta Flyer.

“They’ve locked me out!” Tom yelled slamming two clenched fists into the console.

“Tom, can you do anything?” Kathryn asked.

“No, I have nothing Captain. They’ve taken control of the Flyer” He answered back dismayed, as they watched a tractor beam catch the shuttle and pull it towards the docking bay. “We are docking now whether we want to or not.”

“What reason would they have to not want you back aboard? Besides that being Captain of Voyager was giving Chakotay a stiffy?” Tom asked.

“Kathryn?” Seven called reaching across the distance between their consoles and took a damp shaky hand in her own. “Are you okay?” she asked concerned trying to catch a glimpse of Kathryn’s eyes through the fingers she held over her face.

Tom glanced over to B’Elanna questioning, her face remained still, fingers laced together in front of her mouth.

“Look, someone has to say something. We are about 3 minutes from being aboard Voyager and having to deal with whatever is going on here and I’m sure it’d help Seven, Kyp, and I to know what we are walking into.” Tom turned to look back at Seven and Janeway, hands clasped together across the aisle. Kyp sitting still in the back. Neither B’Elanna or Janeway moved to speak.

“Captain, should I?” B’Elanna started.

“No” Kathryn sighed deeply, “I was hoping to talk about this later, _much later_.” She started her husky voice deep and shaky.

“Before we were pulled into whatever the hell quadrant of space we are in now, Chakotay came to my quarters to confess his love for me. When I didn’t reciprocate his feelings, he attacked me.” She stopped just hoping Seven and Tom wouldn’t pry any further.

Kyp leaned his head around the small recess in the wall that blocked him from the view of the other crew members. His interest peaking.

Seven jumped up from her seat furious. “What did he do? We can’t keep him aboard if he assaulted you!” she shouted losing every bit of her Borg composure.

She corrected herself. _The outburst wasn’t appropriate_ Seven thought. She grabbed both of Kathryn’s hands in hers and shrank down to her knees. “Why didn’t you inform me, we could have discussed this last night.” She pressed her lips to Kathryn’s hand gently kissing every bit of skin she could. She wanted to drive away any bit of pain Kathryn felt.

Tom and B’Elanna sat side by side silently. Tom tried to process what his Captain had just told him.

The realization hit Tom and Seven at nearly the same time. Both stood making eye contact, both fully aware of what had transpired. Kathryn was very suddenly aware that they knew what Chakotay had attempted.

“The injuries…” Seven clenched her jaw tightly.

“You were bruised, broken rib, torn uniform” Seven shut her eyes, a wave of the most extreme anger she’d ever felt passed over her. If he were standing in front of her at the moment she would crush the life out of him.

“Did he . . .” Tom started softly then paused.

“No, he tried… we fought…then the attack on Voyager happened.” Kathryn stared intently down at her hands. She was well aware of Seven’s gaze, she felt as though Seven’s eyes were boring into her. She felt the tears welling behind her eyes. He’d been her friend. _How could he try to hurt me, steal my crew, steal my ship, and leave me stranded_ she thought. The events of the last couple of months overwhelmed her as a soft sob slipped out of her.

Seven rushed to her side wrapped her strong, lanky, arms around the older woman. Kathryn broke down sobbing, her chest heaving. Seven could feel the moisture from Kathryn’s tears through her biomesh suit. “I’m here, I will keep you safe. I love you, Kathryn” Seven whispered into Kathryn’s ear. The other three people aboard averted their eyes not wanting to interrupt the tender moment. 

“Alright if anyone has any good ideas now would be a good time.” Tom bit down on his lower lip and looked around the cabin.

The docking bay doors to Voyager opened and the Delta Flyer glided in for a soft landing, the doors slamming shut behind them. They were greeted by a line of 8 former Maquis crew members, phasers drawn, when the door to the Delta Flyer hissed open.


	8. Betrayal

“Alright come on out, slow! Keep your hands where we can see them. Phasers are set to kill.” Chakotay’s voice boomed from the other side of the docking bay.

All five of them stood and slowly made their way to the door of the Delta Flyer. Captain Janeway took point. “What’s this about Chakotay?” She yelled back to him.

“Seven years, we’ve done things your way. Seven years we sailed around the Delta Quadrant doing what was best for everyone but YOUR crew. We’ve done things the Starfleet way and I’m done. Obviously your crew is done.” He motioned to the eight prior-Maquis crew members standing in front of him.

“Even 33 YEARS after we would have gotten home you came back to _try_ and get us home without more deaths and still got it wrong. You set us back what, another seventy? I’m sorry Kathryn I’ve taken command of Voyager and I will get us home. How many crew members have you lost? 30? 40? Do you even know their names? “Chakotay dark eyes burned into her.

“This is munity! And your way? Rape fellow officers, trade people for information, sell our souls to the devil for a few extra years in the Alpha Quadrant?” She howled back, barely maintaining her composure.

“I don’t know what you accusing me of Kathryn, I’ve kept this crew safe in your absence and I will continue to do so. Take Seven and Kathryn to the brig. Take that Ravager to cargo bay one, get what information you can from him and toss him out the airlock. Put those two in cargo bay 2 with the others” Chakotay directed turning and strolling out of the docking bay.

-

The first two former-Maquis crewmembers grabbed Tom and B’Elanna and led them towards cargo bay 2.

“So what, Gerron, you’re now backing a man that’s been selling his crew to make babies for an alien species to keep them out of his hair?” B’Elanna spat her aggression building.

“You will join the other prisoners in Cargo Bay 2.” Gerron spouted back mechanically.

“Baktag” B’Elanna cursed at him.

A force field blinked into place behind them as soon as they stepped into cargo bay 2. Both Tom and B’Elanna were surprised at the number of crew members they found there. Neelix ran to greet them cradling Miral in his arms.

“Thank the gods! I am so happy to see you two here and safe.” Neelix called out Harry close behind.

“I am so happy to see the three of you here and safe!?” B’Elanna exclaimed, taking her baby in one arm and kissing Neelix on the forehead. She wrapped her other arm around Neelix and pulled him in for a hug so tight he whimpered.

“Sorry Neelix, thank you for keeping her safe” She held the baby tight to her chest. Tom stood to her side gently stroking his daughter’s wispy hair. _Thank you_ he mouthed quietly to Neelix.

“Well it wasn’t just me, young Harry helped too!” Neelix announced gleefully. Harry broke from Neelix’s side hugging B’Elanna then Tom.

“With everything that’s going on we weren’t sure you’d make it back.” Harry smiled broadly. He shifted his gaze to Tom who he still was holding in a tight embrace and awkwardly took a step back. _Too much hug_ he thought.

“Alright, now tell us. What the hell is going on, on this ship” B’Elanna demanded handing Miral over to Tom.

“I think you two should sit down for this.” Neelix gestured them through the crowd of crew members to the back of the cargo bay. All four taking seats on small barrels arranged around a crate. It looked as though Neelix had tried to recreate the mess hall in the cargo bay.

Neelix explained the entire situation in an unnecessary amount of detail; Harry adding in bits and pieces of useful information. One of the members of the Maquis was guarding Chakotay in the brig. He released Chakotay. In the middle of the night the Maquis crew members, and Starfleet members he was able to convince that Captain Janeway did not have their best interest at heart, went room to room gathering up the remaining crew members. They didn’t have time to act. Most crew members woke up in their beds to a phaser in their face. They were either with Chakotay or they were taken into custody and put in the cargo bay. He explained that there were only two still unaccounted for: Tuvok and the Doctor. Chakotay’s mob had still not been able to locate either.

“What is he doing!?” B’Elanna raged.

“We’ve got to find a way out of here, meet with the others and get our ship back.” Tom remarked.

-

“Move it” Crewman Goetz called out, thrusting a phaser into Captain Janeway’s back.

“Goetz, I hope you know he’s only taken command of Voyager to cover his mistakes. If he’s in charge no one will question the fact that he attacked me or freely traded crew members to the Ravagers to try to find a way home.” Kathryn tried to reason with the crew member.

“Keep it down, _Kathryn”_ Goetz thrust the phase harder against Janeway. She groaned feeling the hard metal putting pressure on her bruised back.

“Easy, Crewman!” Seven yelled reaching for him.

Goetz spun around, phaser pointed at Seven’s head. “Try it, Borg, and I will put a hole in that pretty face.”

They were led into the brig and put into separate cells across from each other. Two of Chakotay’s mutineers sat at the desk just inside the door.

Kathryn could already feel the effects of the serum creeping back through her body. She could feel sweat pooling on her forehead. Being able to see Seven across the room and not get to her and not feel her touch was absolutely maddening. Kathryn didn’t know how much of this she could take. She felt as though she were ready to start ripping the cell apart just for the chance to get to Seven. _10 feet_ Kathryn thought, _10 feet may be the difference between whether or not I survive the night,_ she thought.

Seven could sense Kathryn’s heart rate increasing, she could see the perspiration. Kathryn looked feverish. Locking eyes with Kathryn across the room she could see that the serum was taking hold of her lover. She couldn’t ask the guards to let her out, to let her close the distance, to let her make love to her ailing Captain. She nearly sobbed; she couldn’t let Kathryn die, not so close. Not so close when she could be the cure.

Seven slammed her borg-mesh hand into the wall. She felt a slight give to the paneling. She started pounding her hand against the wall with all of her strength hoping to be able to reach the circuitry in the control panel on the opposite side of the wall. She made little progress but it soothed her to try _something_.

“Borg!” Goetz yelled just outside the force-field. “I don’t know what the hell you are trying to do but Chakotay has given me carte blanche to kill you if you give us any problems. Now sit down and shut up!” he pressed a couple buttons the force-field dropped and he brought his phaser to eye level with Seven.

“How do you want to play here Borg?” he yelled. She stared at the distance between them. Borg acuity calculated 10 steps between them. It’d take her three seconds to close the distance; he’d be dead a second later. She looked like a predator eyeing its prey; her chest rose and fell heavily. Her blond hair fell loosely from the tight bun. Her uniform was dust covered and blood poured from open wounds of her borg-mesh hand.

Janeway pleaded from across the room. “Seven!”. Goetz was goading her, a second crew member stood out of Seven’s field of vision, phaser rifle drawn pointed towards the space between the cell and Goetz. She could read the look in his eyes, _give me a reason to kill her_.

Seven’s eyes snapped to Janeway. Seven saw the fear, Kathryn just shook her head no. Seven’s expression lightened and as she tried to take control of her building rage. Her arms dropped to her sides. “Okay” she said raising her arms into the air and settling back on the bench in the cell.

-

“What do the Ravagers want!?” Crewman Alyo yelled, swinging his clenched fist at Kyp. Kyp was tied at his waist, ankles, and hands to a small beam in cargo bay 1. The strike against Kyp’s face didn’t even make him flinch.

“You already know, your Captain already knows. I don’t know anything he doesn’t. You are wasting your strength crewman. Chakotay has been in contact with the A’Crun, he made deals, and he traded your people to avert attacks.” Kyp replied calmly and evenly. Kyp was well aware that he could easily break the restraints. Alyo would prove to be no match for him. Humans were tiny in relation to the size of an A’Crun male. Kyp knew he’d wait the “torture” out. He barely even felt a sting from the small man’s fists. He’d know when it was time to act.

“I will launch your ass out of this airlock unless you can tell me something useful” Alyo spat.

“You know what I know now crewman. I was only with your people to help them recover the missing crew members. I am a member of the resistance that opposes our government’s abduction of innocents. Do what you will.” Kyp replied, Alyo becoming increasingly frustrated at the calmness in the green and teal alien lizards voice.

-

Tuvok scrambled through the Jeffries tubes. He had the sensor sweeps timed and although he had disguised his biosigns he still feared the sensors would find him before he reached the armory. He did not doubt that the Maquis crewmembers had already raided the armory but he was all too well aware that he would need every bit of firepower he could get his hands on if he had a hope to take back the ship.

“Tuvok” the Doctors voice chirped.

“Yes Doctor?”

“I’ve managed to integrate my program into the ships systems. I’ll be able to unlock any doors you need opened.” the Doctor replied arrogantly.

“Thank you Doctor. I will let you know when I’ve arrived at the hatch” Tuvok replied. He continued his crawl towards the hatch leading into the armory.

-

The Doctor stood in the medbay on high alert. He’d managed to hide his program each time the Maquis crew members came through. He integrated himself with enough of the ships systems that even if they did decompile his program in medbay he wouldn’t be lost.

He knew he needed to act. He couldn’t let Chakotay take command of the ship. Something about Chakotay’s actions were just not adding up and the Doctor couldn’t quite put his finger on it. There was definitely something wrong. The Doctor paced back and forth waiting for word from Tuvok that he needed to open the locks. The Doctor cracked open his cache of phasers and slid two into the pockets on both sides of his hips. He’d fight if he had to. He’d received word that Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine were back aboard and he’d sacrifice his program for either without a second thought if he had to. “

 _Seven,_ he thought, _I can communicate through her cortical node without the sensors tracking_. He quickly typed a series of commands into the medbay console.

“Seven, it’s the Doctor are you okay?” he asked

“Doctor, I am, but Captain Janeway needs me immediately. I don’t have time to explain the situation but we are being held in the brig and she does not have much time” Seven whispered back.

“I will see what I can do, stay strong Seven, we have Tuvok on our side and our folks in the cargo bay are planning some big moves”

“Please, hurry” Seven pleaded.

-

Chakotay paced back and forth in the ready room trying to contemplate what his next action should be. He had wanted the Delta Flyer back aboard the ship; they were running low on shuttles. He did not however, want to have to deal with the added frustration of Seven, Janeway, and Paris.

“Goetz and Aylo meet me in the brig” Chakotay said pressing a finger to his com-badge.

Inside the brig his eyes meant Seven’s, they burned with anger. He knew he’d have to get rid of her somehow or another.

“Let’s get some extra barriers around Seven, just in case” he called out. The look on her face made him feel as though she intended to dismember him if she were freed.

“Let this field down, grab Janeway. Bring her to my quarters.” He turned from the Borgs dark gaze and headed to his quarters.

 _Wait_ Kathryn mouthed to Seven. She feared more than anything that Seven would lose her temper again and the guards would execute her.

The two crewman half carried Kathryn, her feet dragging behind her. Chakotay’s door chimed. “Sir, we have Janeway” a voice called.

“Enter” he called back.

They awkwardly carried her through the door, letting their hands slip off her as she fell to the floor in front of Chakotay.

“Leave us” He ordered.

He paced in circles around her looking down at the dirty, sweat covered woman. “Is this what you wanted Kathryn?” he yelled.

“No, I didn’t want any of this friend. I wanted us to get home together. To visit each other’s families. To be able to visit you and whatever wife you chose, and get your children all sugared up and hear the sweet sound of their voices call me Aunt Kathryn. Chakotay, please whatever is happening with you, realize that I am your friend. At some point very soon you are going to go too far and there will be no coming back.” She spoke, pleading with him to recognize that regardless of his plans she was still human and they had been friends.

Kathryn tried to struggle to her feet but didn’t have the energy to push herself off the floor. Her uniform shirt and pants were soaked in sweat. She was well aware she didn’t have much time left.

“And watch you and Seven march off into the sunset…” he snarled.

“Please, Kathryn, let’s just go back to what it was before she came here. Without her you were mine!” he yelled.

“I was never yours. And you traded us to the A’Crun! You sold us to be childbearing slaves for an alien race! What the hell is there left to go back to Chakotay? What did you think this would be? Did you think some part of me might love you, because that is absolutely fucking absurd!” she shouted back.

He scooped Kathryn off the floor, giant meaty hands wrapped around her hips. “I’ll show you what we have left. From the looks of it the serum made you need this as bad as I do, just give in.” He whispered breathlessly into her ear.

 _That fucker knew exactly what they were doing_ she thought grinding her teeth together. “I’d rather die” She spat at him.

He shoved Kathryn back against the far wall and struggled with his pants, wanting to feel her around him. The feeling of his hands on her made her want to vomit.

The door to Chakotay’s quarters slipped open. A large green teal creature stood at the threshold.

“Please Sir, release that woman.” Kyp requested softly.

“Security to my quarters” Chakotay said into his com-badge.

“They will not answer. They are - ” Kyp stopped “Mostly unconscious” he finished.

Chakotay kept his grip on Janeway holding her hard against the wall.

“Sir, if I have to intervene it will be most unpleasant. Also, Seven of Nine is on her way and if she intervenes I strongly doubt there will be much left of you when she finishes.” Kyp stated flatly moving towards the commander.

Chakotay made no move to release her; Kyp moved in and with little effort launched the commander into the passageway outside the room. He caught Kathryn in his strong scaly arms and lowered her to the floor.

“Seven” he called through the com-badge given to him by the Doctor.

“Kathryn needs you, immediately in Chakotay’s quarters.”

-

Seven heard the call from Kyp and sprinted as fast as her Borg implanted legs would carry her.

“Bridge, teleport Kathryn and I to her quarters” Seven called.

“On it, Seven.” Harry replied.

With a flash of light, Seven still sprinting, caught Kathryn as she materialized then lowered her onto the bed. Seven’s arms were wrapped behind the smaller woman.

“One day I won’t need you to make love to me for me to live, I’ll just feel like I need you to make love for me to keep breathing” Kathryn whispered into Seven’s ear her arms slipped around Seven pulling her down hard against her own body.

“Please lover, _I need you_ ” Kathryn gasped breathlessly, at the feeling of Seven’s body on top of her own.

“I am yours” Seven moaned looking down at the steel-blue eyes filled with lust.

She quickly and expertly slipped two fingers inside of her Captain and rocked her into a hard, much needed orgasm.

Tears gathered behind Kathryn’s eyes. “I hope you know Seven that it is not just your body I love. I’m not just using you to halt the suffering from this damned breeding serum. I love absolutely every single part of you. I don’t want our love making to be about this, I want our love making to be about you knowing I desire you because I am deeply in love with the woman you are.” Kathryn took a deep breath.

“I know Kathryn. I have not doubted that you loved me since the first time I met you. I am yours. I didn’t make love to you because it _had to happen._ I wanted it as much as you did. Do not ever doubt that I love you, and I will always come for you when you need me. Perhaps the serum was my excuse.” Seven’s eyes lit up, a warm smile spread across her face and pulled Kathryn in for a long, deep, sweet kiss.


	9. Love and Nanoprobes

Kathryn struggled to open her eyes. Feeling groggy, she was surprised when she looked up and saw the lights in the medbay. She quickly glanced down and was relieved to see she was clothed; even if it was a light cotton gown.

“Captain!” The doctor exclaimed “Sorry, I know you went to sleep in your quarters. I attempted to contact you to perform an examination following your ordeal with the A’crun and Seven couldn’t rouse you. We transported you and B’Elanna both to medbay. I ordered Seven to regenerate and after _much_ protest she agreed to leave your bedside. Kyp explained the effects of the A’Crun breeding serum to me and using what he knew and my in depth knowledge of hormonal imbalances we were able to perform a full analysis of yours and Lieutenant Torres’ condition. We haven’t been able to find any way to neutralize the serum but with Kyp’s assistance I am hopeful we will have something soon.” The Doctor stated his eyes floating between Kathryn’s and the padd he held in his left hand.

“Do you have report for me Doctor?” Kathryn pushed herself up onto elbows and glanced around the room. B’Elanna lay in the biobed immediately to her left, the Klingon still sound asleep.

“Tuvok!” she said surprised to see him on the bed to her right.

“He’s okay Captain. It seems the mutineers rigged the doors to Cargo bay 2 to explode if they were tampered with without authorization. Thanks to the quick actions of your A’Crun friend he only suffered some minor burns and abrasions. My major concern was that Kyp underestimated his strength and sent Tuvok into a bulkhead when the device started to go off. Kyp carried him to the medbay. He was suffering from a major concussion. He’ll be fine once the anesthetic wears off.” The Doctor continued staring down at the padd.

“As for a report I think we should wait until B’Elanna is awake so I can go over all the details with both of you. Also, if you find it acceptable I think Lieutenant Paris and Seven should be present.” He asserted.

“Sounds good Doctor, what of Chakotay?” she winced to even say of his name.

The Doctor pointed to a biobed on the other side of the room.

“Behind a level 5 force field only my authorization or yours of course can open. Harry reinforced the control panel, and locked out controls on the power grid that controls the field. He’s alive. There were a few broken bones, he had several cranial fractures, and his left orbital was broken in several pieces. I placed him in a drug induced coma, there’s severe swelling in his brain, and until it recedes I can’t replace the cranial bones. Seven’s nanoprobes could prove useful to correct the damage but given the situation it didn’t feel like a fair predicament to put her in so I did not ask. We also added an additional precaution, there’s a barrier that controls sound into and out of that area, he can’t hear us and we can’t hear him” He stated flatly.

“Good work Doctor.” Kathryn forced a half smile.

“Given the situation I realize it is not ideal to have all of you in medbay together but I was forced to either let him die or allow the Senior staff the time to pass judgement on his actions. As a Doctor . . . ” he explained.

“I know, Doctor” She cut him off putting a hand up to silence him.

“Uhh” B’Elanna mumbled. “My head is pounding” she shifted around in the biobed her eyes struggling to open. “Tom” she called.

“Lieutenant Torres, you are in medbay” The Doctor comforted.

“But I was in bed with my husband, oh and good clothes” she stammered reaching down to find herself in her own cotton gown.

“I was just explaining to the Captain, you were both transported to the medbay for a medical examination. I have the results of the tests that Kyp and I ran on you both if you are alert enough? Do you mind if I call Lieutenant Paris and Seven in?” he enquired.

“I am game if the Captain is.” B”Elanna replied rubbing her temple.

“Go ahead, Doctor” Kathryn confirmed with a nod.

“Seven of Nine and Lieutenant Paris to medbay” The Doctor demanded with a flick of his com-badge.

Seven and Tom arrived at the medbay and each took a seat next to their respective partners.

“Where is Kyp anyway?” Kathryn wondered

“Ah yes, Ensign Kim took him on a tour of the ship after they secured the mutineers in cargo bay 2. They were going to find Kyp quarters to rest in” The Doctor stated.

Seven held Kathryn’s hand tight in her own. Neither paid any mind to the fact that the rest of the crew would soon be aware of their relationship. The Doctor typed on his padd to pull up the results of the bioscans he had run on Kathryn and B’Elanna.

“Report” The Captain commanded.

“Very well, the A’Crun breeding serum as you know necessitates copulation. It seems that the hormone imbalances start slowly, albeit immediately, at the conclusion of said activities and reaches a critical point again within 6 to 8 hours. The imbalance increases exponentially the longer you are separated from your _partners_ by more than a few feet _”_ The Doctor pointed to Seven and Tom.

“The samples I pulled from Kathryn degraded 10 times more rapidly only a few minutes after Seven left from medbay and the same for B’Elanna and Tom. The time you can spend apart and the time before the imbalance reaches a critical point should dwindle now that you are not receiving constant injects of the serum. Judging by the rate of the decline of the compound in your systems I would venture to guess that within a few weeks it should be completely out of your systems. So we can either let the compound disperse from your systems naturally, I can synthesize the serum they used on you and it will stop the imbalance but you will need injections every 6 hours or the process will start again, or I can continue trying to synthesize a cure for the serum.” The Doctor stated his eyes passing over the four crew members in his medbay.

“I think you should keep looking for a cure and in the meantime we will deal with the side effects. B’Elanna, do you agree?” The Captain glanced over at the Klingon.

“Yes, very much. Are we free to leave? I feel like it has been roughly seven hours since we were brought here.” B’Elanna replied sweat droplets forming on her face.

“Yes, but Doctors orders, stay together and Captain please wait one moment.” The Doctor nodded to B’Elanna. Her and Tom stood and exited the medbay together. B’Elanna whispered something softly in Tom’s ear, her hand placed firmly on his butt as the departed.

“Captain, this only pertains to you and so far I am baffled. Do you wish to have Seven present while I discuss my additional findings?” he asked softly glancing between the two women.

“Go ahead Doctor, anything you have to say to me will affect Seven as well.” Kathryn shot a half smile and wink to her lover.

“Well, as I said I am baffled. I found Borg nanoprobes in your bloodstream. Not a high concentration but enough so that before I had the chance to use the dermal regenerator on your wounds they had already healed. You were brought in with a scar on your head, bruised back, a healing but still fractured rib, and some small abrasions from your scuffle with Chakotay. In the time it took me to run scans of both you and Lieutenant Torres, speak with Kyp about the results, and get the dermal regenerator all of your wounds had healed.” He said with a puzzled expression.

“Could there have been some simple transference? From copulation?” Seven asked shyly glancing between Kathryn and the Doctor.

“No need to be shy here Seven I am the ship’s Doctor, everything discussed here is confidential. I am fully aware of the issues created by the A’Crun serum and the way those problems are managed.” He stated. Typing at the padd in his hand he brought up the data and handed the padd over to Seven to examine.

“I initially also thought that it was just a transfer during copulation. There is no documented case of a Borg and a human _getting together_ as it were. All of my scans tell me otherwise. If some of your nanoprobes had somehow migrated to the Captain I would expect that the count in her bloodstream would decrease. Not only has the count not decreased but there has been a slow but steady increase suggesting that the nanoprobes are actually reproducing in her bloodstream.” The Doctor said.

“Is there any danger of something like assimilation?” Kathryn asked her steel-blue eyes wide.

“No, nothing like that. The nanoprobes aren’t taking over for your own cells, they are supporting them, making them more efficient, _protecting you_. Nanoprobes are not dangerous alone it’s only when they are coupled with Borg implements and controls communicating with a hive-mind outside your body that they could pose a threat. Everything I am seeing tells me you are completely safe. More than safe even. A couple of days from now you may be quite nearly impervious to harm. Can I demonstrate? There will be a small amount of pain.” The doctor asked.

“Go ahead.” Kathryn answered curiously.

The doctor pulled a small scalpel from the table behind him. “One small cut is all Captain.” He stated pressing the scalpel to her skin. He precisely cut approximately a one inch long cut into the top of her hand only through the top layer of her skin, with a small wince from Kathryn.

“And watch.” he marveled staring down at the Captain’s hand.

All three huddled around Kathryn’s hand watching the small wound slowly start to heal itself.

“Are there any concerns or side effects?” Kathryn asked.

“Well the nanoprobes haven’t been able to calm the hormonal imbalance; they seemed to have slowed the effects of it some. They have even, to some extent, reversed the aging process. The scans I took I would expect from someone several years younger than you. I would expect that you will recover sooner than B’Elanna but it is still crucial that you and Seven are not separated. Also, you will have to increase your caloric intake. The nanoprobes have to pull energy from somewhere. I suspect that they are sapping energy somehow from your cells and while they are efficient they still need the energy to reproduce and stay active. You don’t have the benefit that Seven does with the ability to regenerate” He cautioned.

“And if they keep spreading or reproducing? Should I be worried here, Doctor?” Kathryn questioned.

“As I said I don’t see any reason to worry. The nanoprobes seem to prioritize your own cell activity above their own. When I ran tests on them they seemed to simply deactivate if they were deprived of energy. Prior to deactivating they supported the human cells transferring any available energy prior to shutting down. I can’t explain how this happened. The nanoprobes are similar to those that Seven carries suggesting that there was initially transference from Seven but they seem to have fully integrated with your own biology, protecting it and supporting it. I suspect it has something to do with the interaction between the serum you were injected with, Seven’s nanoprobes, and your own biology but I can’t explain it” The Doctor shrugged.

“Very well, Doctor. I have a ship to manage, am I free to resume my duties?” The Captain asked raising an eyebrow and pulling herself to the edge of the biobed to swing her feet to the floor.

“Yes but first Doctor’s orders. You and Seven are not to be separated if it can at all be avoided. You need to increase your caloric intake by a minimum of 1500 calories a day. I’ll provide the specifications for energy supplements to the synthesizers. Request Captain Energy Supplement 1 or 2 to synthesize. And don’t worry, 1 will taste like coffee and 2 will taste like whiskey if you require a late night supplement.” The Doctor announced motioning Seven and Kathryn to the door.

“Now go take care of the side effects before they get any worse” The Doctor dropped his eyes and walked into his office.

“Bridge- Captain site-to-site transport for two from medbay to my quarters” Kathryn called pressing Seven’s com-badge with a wink.

“Very well, Captain” Harry said back.

-

“I can feel the serum doing its work again but I have to wash this grime off of me. I’m going to take a quick sonic shower then sit in the bath for a few minutes until I feel clean again” Kathryn smiled warmly at her lover.

“I will review the crew’s reports on the ships damages while you relax Kathryn.” Seven replied, relaxing back into the couch outside the bathroom, with a small smile. The way her cerulean blue eyes sparkled with love when she looked at Kathryn made her want to melt into Seven’s arms.

Kathryn settled into a warm bubble bath after her sonic shower. Nothing relaxed her more than the feeling of warm bath water settling over her skin. She took a deep breath. She knew tomorrow she’d have to address the issues with the crew, with Chakotay. There would be hard decisions, after everything they’d been through she would allow herself to just be Kathryn tonight, she could be the Captain in the morning.

“Kathryn.” Seven said standing over the large garden tub. “May I join you?” She asked with a raised cortical implant.

“Absolutely darling, get in here” Kathryn responded smiling up at Seven.

Seven slid out of her biomesh suit. Kathryn scooted forward in the bathtub to make space for Seven behind her. Seven put a cautious foot into the water, the temperature felt perfect against her skin. She glided her body into the bubbly water. She wrapped her arms around Kathryn’s waist and pulled her body back until Kathryn’s wet soapy back was pressed against Sevens breast. Seven’s long legs easily fit on either side of Kathryn. She gasped lightly as Kathryn’s skin made contact with the heat between her legs.

She ran her arms across her Captain’s chest taking a soft pink nipple between each thumb and index finger, gently rolling them back and forth. Kathryn moaned at the touch.

“Kathryn, I wish to explore every inch of your body.” Seven whispered into Kathryn’s ear. Her mouth lingered over Kathryn's ear; she lightly pulled on Kathryn’s ear lobe with her teeth and ran her tongue along the outer edge. She quickly dropped her mouth just under Kathryn’s jaw bone letting her plump lips trace their way to her clavicle. 

Kathryn’s hips reflexively pushed back into Seven, unable to stop her pelvis from thrusting with Seven hungrily kissing at her neck. Kathryn ran her fingertips up Seven’s legs gripping when she reached Seven’s muscular thighs. The touch made Seven shudder with desire.

“Turn to face me” Seven said her voice low and demanding.

Kathryn pivoted her body in the large bathtub until she straddled Seven. Her thighs pinned each of Seven’s to the walls of the tub. Kathryn leaned in and took one of Seven’s hard red nipples into her mouth. She let her tongue flick over the nub, Seven gasped and raked her fingers down Kathryn’s back.

“Bed, now” Kathryn demanded.

Seven obliged and lifted both herself and the soaking wet Kathryn from the bathtub. Kathryn held fast to Seven, arms wrapped over her shoulders pulling herself hard against Seven and thighs still trapped both of Seven’s.

Seven fell back onto the bed. Her loose blond hair spilled across the bed spread. Kathryn still holding position on top of her lover. _God she’s beautiful_ Kathryn mused kissing and nibbling her way down Seven’s abdomen. Kathryn moved to taste Seven.

“No” Seven insisted pulling Kathryn back up for a deep kiss.

“I want to see your face, I want us to reach completion together” She closed her legs against Kathryn pushing Kathryn hard against her with her thighs.

Seven grabbed Kathryn’s hand and guided it down until she was cupping all of Seven’s wetness. With her other hand Seven reached down and pressed her fingers against Kathryn’s warm wet center.

Both women gasped as they entered each other nearly simultaneously. Kathryn thrust her pelvis down harder and harder against Seven’s probing fingers. She was barely able to maintain a constant motion with her own fingers in and out of Seven. Seven pressed back against her moving to meet her fingers.

“Don’t stop Seven” Kathryn moaned.

“Kathryn, yes.” Seven groaned into her lover’s ear.

Seven leaned her head forward and pressing her lips hard into Kathryn’s let her tongue flick over Kathryn’s. Using her loose arm she pulled the older woman against her. She delighted in feeling of their breasts pressed against each other while they bucked together.

And in an instant both women came together, the intensity of the orgasm made Seven’s legs tremble. Kathryn slid her body to the side of her lover.

“Always” Kathryn whispered and pulled the younger women against her.

“I will love you always” Kathryn brought her lips to Seven’s for a sweet kiss.

Seven’s eyes teared up “I can’t imagine anywhere I’d rather be.” She spoke softly.

“I hadn’t considered this before but back on Acrunmoge, that was your first time too wasn’t it?” Kathryn shifted to look into the beautiful Borg’s eyes.

“Yes, Kathryn. I have read books on the subject. Specifically I read about how human women make love. I experimented, with my own body, to determine what spots were pleasurable but I have never let another inside me. Axum and I were intimate in Unimatrix Zero but we never engaged in the intimacy I have with you.” She sighed with a touch of fear that her inexperience would upset Kathryn.

“I just hope it was everything you wanted it to be too darling” Kathryn rested her head on Seven’s chest.

“I could not imagine making love with another.” Seven whispered.

Kathryn quickly drifted into a sound sleep. Seven knew she needed to regenerate to be functional for the next day’s events. Once Kathryn was sleeping peacefully she slipped quietly from the Captain’s quarters and made her way to her alcove. She scribbled a brief note on a replicated note pad. _I am regenerating. I will see you soon darling._ She signed it _Yours, Always, Seven_ and left it on the pillow in her place. 


	10. Love and Plans

Kathryn awoke suddenly, feeling the emptiness in the bed next to her. She felt feverish. The serum creeping through her veins was nearly unbearable. She glanced to the clock; it had been nearly 10 hours since she fell asleep. “Computer locate Seven of Nine” she called.

“Seven of Nine is in Astrometrics.” The computer answered.

“Seven-Kathryn please come to my quarters” She asked softly. She reached over seeing the note on the pillow next her, read it, and with a broad grin brought her lips to the paper and set it on the night stand next to her.

A few minutes later Seven breezed through the doors to Kathryn’s bedside. ”Do you require me, Kathryn?” she asked with a slight flutter of her eyes.

“Actually, I feel better just with you near me. I need to address the Senior Staff right away. I need to make sure Voyager is back in my control. If you stay close I may have a few hours before things become” Kathryn blushed under the intense gaze that fell on her.

“Critical” She finished licking her lips.

“Very well, you will need a uniform Kathryn.” Her eyes fell onto the naked Kathryn sitting at the bedside.

“Oh yes! And please call a meeting of the Senior Staff in the conference room.” Kathryn glanced down at her naked body.

“In 15 minutes, but don’t go far.” Kathryn made her way to the replicator while Seven arranged the details of the meeting.

-

Seven and Kathryn were the first to arrive in the conference room, Kathryn sat at the head of the table with Seven to her left. Kathryn’s left hand holding tightly to Seven’s right. Tom and B’Elanna strolled in together hand in hand taking the seats next the Seven. Neelix, Harry, Tuvok, Kyp and the Doctor filed in, each taking their seats around the large table.

“Alright folks, this is going to be a long one. We have a lot of decisions to make, a few medical conditions to discuss, and crew members to rescue. Please keep in mind the longer we delay the more chance of losing our missing female crew members.” Kathryn started.

“First up Doctor, please explain the A’Crun breeding serum and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you but this does not leave this room. If there is an urgent reason to inform the rest of the crew I will inform them. Until then this is between us”

The Doctor explained in excruciating detail the effects of the serum. Kathryn shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her new found relationship being presented openly to her entire Senior Staff. She held tight to Seven’s hand, the contact, even if very slightly, calming the urges of the serum. She could feel it starting to take hold again.

In flashes she pictured Seven standing in front of her in an emerald green dress asking to make love to her, Seven rushing to kiss her on Acrunmoge, Seven’s naked body writhing against hers, under hers. She felt the sweat starting to pool on her forehead.

The Doctor stood still staring at the Captain. “I’m finished Captain” he stated. All eyes in the room were on her. For a brief moment she wondered how long she had been daydreaming and tried to clear her head.

“Next up, how the hell did we get control of this ship back from Chakotay? I was dazed and it all seemed to happen so fast.” She asked.

“Kyp” Tom said gesturing to the teal and green alien, his knees pushed nearly to his chest, trying to somehow make the small chair and low table accommodating to his large body.

Kyp stood, looking relieved to not be smashed into the little chair. “Your crewman Aylo attempted to torture me. He neglected to consider that the A’Crun have bone plates under their skin. Simple strikes with small human hands do no damage, cause no pain. Most weapons do minimal damage to our physiology. I knew you would need help reclaiming the ship. A’Crun have senses that are hard to explain but I felt that as soon as Aylo was apprehensive it was my time to strike. I asked him very politely to release me and explained that it would be in his best interest to do so. He continued his line of pointless questioning so I broke the bindings and immobilized him. I encountered Mr. Tuvok in the passageway outside cargo bay 2 and tossed him free of an incoming explosion. I apologize, Sir, if I harmed you; I was astonished at how very light you are.” Kyp nodded to Tuvok who returned a soft nod.

“After I brought Mr. Tuvok to the medbay, your ship’s signage is very helpful by the way, your Doctor caught me up on the situation aboard the ship. He provided me with this..” He paused lifting his hand to his white cotton shirt holding the com-badge “Communications device. He activated the Emergency Command Holographic program and locked out Commands on the bridge. I encountered several hostile crew members on my way to free your loyal crew members from Cargo Bay 2 but they were as easily handled. After I released the field that held them, again I apologize I did significant damage to your ship to do so. I pulled the power source from the wall to drop the field. I presented Mr. Paris and Mrs. Torres with rifles the Doctor had given me; I believe they immobilized the majority of crew members that were committing munity. Then I assisted your Ensign Kim with taking control of the bridge. They were undermanned. With Chakotay distracted it was fairly simple to take control of the bridge. I immobilized 3 crew members while Mr. Kim took on the one that had the con. From there Captain you know the rest. I came to your aid in Chakotay’s quarters.” Kyp finished taking his seat.

“Kyp, I cannot tell you enough how grateful we all are for your help. You saved my ship, you saved B’Elanna and I. Thank you, and anything we can do to help your plight we are at your disposal.” Kathryn shot him a warm smile.

“Your gratitude is unnecessary. Ever since I met you and B’Elanna, your intentions and temperament reminded me of my spouse” He gestured to the Captain “and my sister” then held a hand towards B’Elanna. “It would be wrong of me to say that there isn’t some part of me of me that was self-serving, that wanted to save you because I could not save them. As I said before I have a strong dissatisfaction with my own government and their treatment of our females and those they have captured, I could not rightly leave you in the hands of another violent dictator.” Kyp replied.

“Very well, one other question, you mentioned plating underneath your skin and the strength of your males. At the breeding facility I was able to fight through two of your kind. One with a syringe to the temple and the other I held a rope to his windpipe until he stopped struggling. If they had your strength I can’t see how a woman of my size could contend.” Kathryn asked confused.

“Well yes, there are a few weak spots in the A’Crun anatomy one between the front cranial plate down to the ears here” Kyp gestured on his own head moving his hands from just behind his forehead to his ears. “And also there is a gap between the plates on the neck and chin to allow free movement of our heads; It would seem luck was in your favor.”

“Interesting” The Doctor interjected. “I would like to go over A’Crun anatomy in more depth with you Kyp.”

Kathryn nodded thoughtfully. “Okay, we have a few more things to discuss. There is the matter of Chakotay and the mutineers.” She paused closing her eyes and sighing.

“And that means being completely frank with all of you on _why_ and _how_ he ended up in control of Voyager.” Kathryn felt the sweat starting to pour down her body.

Kathryn stood and glanced to Seven at her side. She leaned in and softly whispered “Please stay calm darling. This is as hard for me to say as it is for you to hear.”

Kathryn walked slowly to the window in the conference room staring out at the stars. She could feel the eyes of her Senior Staff on her. She could not bring herself to turn and face them. She clasped her hands together behind her back and started slowly explaining what had transpired between her and Chakotay.

“Before we were pulled into this quadrant of space Chakotay came to my quarters.” She projected loudly enough so they could hear her with her back turned to them.

“He told me about personal feelings he had for me, I did not reciprocate and he attacked me. He attempted to rape me but was interrupted by a good kick and the attack on Voyager. After the attack he left me unconscious, bleeding on the floor in my quarters where Harry found me.” She paused hearing a sharp crack. She glanced back to see Seven gripping the wooden table so hard a piece had broken off in her hand.

“Seven” she said softly. “If you need to be excused, you may depart the conference room” Kathryn motioned her head to the door.

“I will calm myself Captain” She whispered back in a low growl. Tom wrapped his arm over her shoulder and she seemed to take comfort in the touch as she leaned into him.

“He made deals with the A’Crun behind everyone’s back to prevent their attacks on Voyager. He traded B’Elanna, myself, Ensign Wildman and her daughter along with 16 other female crew members to the A’Crun to be slaves in their breeding facilities. B’Elanna found proof that he was dropping our shields to allow their abductions at scheduled intervals. We are all aware he took all of the loyal crew members into custody but when Tom, Seven, B’Elanna and I returned on the Delta Flyer with Kyp they drew phasers on us, threatened to kill us if we didn’t cooperate and tossed Seven and I in the brig. Again he attempted to force himself on me and lucky for me Kyp came to my rescue. Again I thank you, Sir.” She turned herself towards her Senior staff.

“From the conversation he and I had when I came back aboard the ship I can tell you without a doubt he knew why the A’crun were requesting women, he knew what he was selling us into. As far as the punishment I have to defer to Tuvok. I recognize that I am biased and cannot pass fair judgement in this situation. Any and all information regarding Chakotay’s conduct and the conduct of those that followed him shall be presented to Tuvok. Doctor, what is Chakotay’s condition?” she asked.

“Currently still in a medically induced coma but within the next couple of days the swelling in his brain should subside enough for me to replace the cranial bones. I would expect him to be back on his feet 3 or 4 days from now. Also I should add I ran scans to determine if his most recent actions were a result of the recessive gene he inherited from his grandfather but I can find no evidence of this. There are no imbalances I can find, from what my bioscans are telling me, he was acting of his own volition when he attacked. I am not a psychologist and I do not have the specialization to make a formal diagnosis but I believe he had until recently been hiding psychopathic tendencies. In reviewing the intelligence provided to us by Lieutenant Tuvok regarding Maquis conversations and Maquis events he witnessed I have found several occasions where Chakotay could have been the perpetrator of extreme violence, near sadism. However there are no witnesses to any of the events, as all were executed for war crimes, many by Chakotay himself. I can’t tell you much for certain but executions among the Maquis for war crimes were rare Chakotay recorded more alone than all of the other Maquis leaders put together.” The Doctor finished taking his seat with a nod from Kathryn.

“Now onto the matter of our Command Structure, in light of our mutiny we are need of a new First Officer. Tuvok will be acting first officer and once we have our entire family back together and onboard Voyager I’ll make the change official. In addition I’ll be offering formal Starfleet Commissions to Seven, Icheb, with your permission of course, Seven, and Neelix. Sleep on it, please. I do not need answers right away. If you choose to accept we will put you through a crash course on Starfleet etiquette and make it official. Tom, please begin working on a holodeck program for that purpose, as time permits. We need to come together. I need loyal officers I can trust at my back, and everyone in this room has proven your commitment to each other and to getting Voyager home safely time and time again. I need each of you and you need each other. Kyp, can we continue to rely on your assistance with our campaign to rescue our missing crew and are you comfortable with me issuing orders to you?” Kathryn asked softly glancing into Kyp’s orange-red eyes.

“Yes, Captain I am at your service as long as you require.” Kyp replied quickly glancing up to meet the Captain’s eyes.

“Onto the rescue; Kyp and Tuvok, please work together to develop a plan to infiltrate facility 1. I’d like to send a team to attack them in transit and send a second team to raid the facility in order to split their attention. Icheb can assist you until Seven is available. I’ll lead one team with Seven and Harry and Kyp will lead the other with Tom and B’Elanna. I’ll need you on the ship and in command Tuvok. Kyp, reach out to your contacts on the surface and see if we can find out exactly when they are scheduled to start moving our people. B’Elanna, send an engineering team to transport and install Seven’s alcove into my quarters immediately. Once you feel up to it, I’d like you down in engineering cataloging the damages to Voyager and developing a plan to piece our ship back together. Doctor, for the time being I’d like you to work on creating and programming an Emergency Psychiatric Hologram. We need a ships counselor. Harry, you have the bridge. Tom will relieve you on the bridge shortly so you can assist the Doctor. Are there any questions?” Kathryn asked sopping up the sweat on her face with her sleeve.

No one spoke; Kathryn could read the relief in B’Elanna’s face. She had recognized B’Elanna was suffering heavily from the serum as well. B’Elanna was grateful for the break to resolve the symptoms.

“Wait, Captain. You are going to allow me to command the bridge?” Tom realized suddenly.

“Yes, Lieutenant Paris. I’m certain you can manage while we work to plan this rescue. Desperate times call for desperate measures.” She cocked her head and grinned a half smile.

“I won’t let you down, Captain” he put his hand to his face to salute and stood.

“Dismissed. Get to work folks” Kathryn called, grabbing Seven’s hand and pulling her along from the conference room.

Kathryn and Seven entered the turbolift. “I need you again. I am so sorry that you making love to me is required to resolve my condition” Kathryn’s husky voice called, kissing Seven softly along her jawbone.

“Wait” Seven said, pulling away from Kathryn’s advances. “Halt turbolift, lockout command Seven beta one two echo.” Seven demanded.

She wrapped her arms around Kathryn and walked her back until they met the wall of the lift.

“You are _not_ a responsibility to me, Kathryn.” She scoffed.

“For you to think you are is upsetting to me” Seven said pulling away. She turned her back to Kathryn.

“If you think so little of me that you think I’d be willing to engage in the intimacy we have engaged in simply because it was _required_ by your condition, undermines every bit of love I have confessed I have for you.” Seven stared at the floor in the turbolift.

“I did not mean to upset you darling, I don’t understand your anger with me.” Kathryn moved to put her arms around Seven but she pulled away.

“You have continuously apologized to me for requiring my touch, as though that is something to apologize for. It makes me feel as though you wish that there were a way around me making love to you for you to have resolution” Seven kept her eyes pointed at the floor. Kathryn moved to meet her, pressing her body against Seven’s back.

“No, no love you have it all wrong. I told you before, it’s not that I don’t wish for you to make love to me to resolve my condition, I want us to make love because we both need it to happen, because we need it to share our love and desires with one another. I hate the idea that I have saddled you with an ultimatum of either you make love to me or I will die. The night we were pulled into this quadrant when we were supposed to meet for our date, I wanted more than anything to discuss the parameters of our relationship. I wanted to tell you that I am in love with you. Seven, I love every single part of you. And if I were given the choice to pick one being from every single quadrant of every single universe to be the one to make love to me to resolve my condition, I would choose you every single time. I have never loved or craved another the way I do you” Kathryn’s eyes filled with tears.

Seven turned slowly in Kathryn’s arms to meet her gaze.

“Seven, I don’t say I love you because I want you. I want you because I am so very in love with you. You are the one I grant access to my body, my heart, my soul. If this damn serum wasn’t pulsing through me I’d still feel the same. Do not doubt that every piece of me belongs to you.” Kathryn knelt at Seven’s feet taking Seven’s hands in her own, her blue eyes tinged with red, tears streaming. Seven looked down at her pain with behind her cerulean blue eyes.

“I held fast to my Captain’s facade for so long. I kept you at an arm’s length. I feared caring for you the way I do would cause doubts among the crew as to my impartiality or my fairness. I felt I had to be just the Captain of Voyager, nothing else to anyone. My impartiality was compromised the minute you came aboard Voyager. I wanted to help you become the individual you are, the woman you have become. I poured every bit of my being into helping you and in watching you blossom I fell deeply in love with you. When I was lying in that cell, held by the A’Crun, I realized my biggest regret if I died right there would be that I never told you I loved you. And darling, when Admiral Janeway came to me and told me that you’d die if we didn’t make the jump to the Alpha Quadrant it felt as though someone had ripped the beating heart from my chest. She was haunted at the loss of you. She was haunted that you died in Chakotay’s arms. She was bitter and jaded over a lost love that she never took the chance on. I’m right here taking that leap lover, you hold my heart; whatever brought us together I will not let you go.” She kissed Seven’s hands.

Seven dropped to her knees to meet Kathryn on the floor of the turbolift. She pulled the teary eyed redhead to her chest.

“I’m yours. Your compassion, the depth with which you feel, your stubbornness challenging me to be better at every turn, and the love and desire I see in your eyes when you look at me only make me want to, make me feel like I need to be, as close as I can to you in _every way_. I love you deeply Kathryn” Seven kissed Kathryn’s forehead softly and used the sleeve of her biomesh uniform to wipe the tears from Kathryn’s face.

“Let’s get to your quarters and resolve the issues with this serum” Seven scooped Kathryn from the floor. She unlocked the turbolift and they made their way to the Captains Quarters.

Inside the Captain’s quarters Seven and Kathryn walked together slowly into the bedroom. Several crew members hustled around in the Captain’s quarters working to install Seven’s alcove just inside the door to her bedroom.

“How long until your work is finished?” She said voice dripping in irritation.

“30 minutes, Captain.” One of the engineers answered back.

“Come back in an hour.” She demanded.

The 5 engineers hesitated a moment. “Out!” she shouted. They filed from her quarters.

Seven took hold of both Kathryn’s hand and slowly laid her back on the bed. She took her time undressing _her captain._ She lowered her body onto Kathryn and slowly unbuttoned her uniform jacket. Then she slipped Kathyrn’s turtleneck over her head. Seven raked her fingers down Kathryn’s bare skin, Kathryn let out a deep sigh. She unhooked Kathryn’s bra with one hand her other working at the button’s to Kathryn’s uniform pants. She slipped down to the floor to work the pants and panties down Kathryn’s legs. She kissed hungrily back up from Kathryn’s hips, along her abdomen to her neck, finally pressing Kathryn’s lips hard against hers.

She sat up still straddling Kathryn, but pulling back from any touch she attempted.

“Tell me” Seven said cortical implant raised.

“Tell you what, love?” Kathryn asked breathlessly.

“Tell me you want me.” Seven said her voice demanding.

“I want you, Seven.” Kathryn said attempting again to pull Seven down against her.

“More, tell me what you want me to do.” Seven started to pull away from Kathryn.

“Please, touch me Seven” Kathryn reached up to pull the younger woman against her and Seven resisted and lifted her hips off of Kathryn, still hovering over top of her. Kathryn groaned at the loss of contact.

“More, explain _where_ I should touch you, _how_ I should touch you.” Seven’s eyes burned with desire for the woman spread out underneath her.

“Here” Kathryn sat up took Seven’s hand in hers and guided Seven to her warm center.

“No” Seven slowly removed her hand and stood. Kathryn let out a whimper.

“Let your guard down. You don’t have to be the Captain when we are alone together. As much as I wish I had the ability, I cannot read your thoughts. I want to hear explicitly say what you want. It arouses me to know how badly you want me and to know how you want me. Tell me Kathryn, what do you want me to do to you?” Seven stared intensely into Kathryn’s eyes.

“I can’t be vulgar, for the sake of another. I am uncomfortable with the thought of it, the language.” Kathryn answered back her eyes pleading for Seven’s touch.

“Not vulgar lover, but tell me.” Seven responded.

“I want to feel you inside of me love. Please Seven, I need your hands on me.” Kathryn pleaded.

Seven moved her body back overtop of Kathryn’s and lowered herself onto the older woman until she could feel the heat between her legs pressed against Kathryn’s wetness.

“I want to feel your fingers inside me, I want to feel your fingers thrusting into me, filling me up. I need you Seven please.” Kathryn closed her eyes then raked her nails against Seven’s back.

“Show me darling” Seven responded pressing her lips hard against Kathryn’s.

She put Seven’s middle finger just outside and pressed until it slipped into her, Kathryn’s middle finger slipping into herself on top of Seven’s. She pushed down hard, wanting more of Seven inside her, guiding Seven’s hand back and forth. She moaned at the touch.

Seven’s breath caught in her throat feeling all the desire building in Kathryn. She grabbed Kathryn’s hand and repeating Kathryn’s actions guided Kathryn’s finger inside of her. “More please” she moaned breathlessly at the feeling of the soft hand gliding up to meet her throbbing center.

Kathryn obliged and wrapped three fingers together pushing up hard to meet Seven. Seven rocked back and forth against Kathryn’s hand, on top of the hand she rocked in and out of Kathryn. Her own weight forcing both women’s hands deeper inside the other.

In a frenzy they came together. Seven’s orgasm was intense, her walls closed in on Kathryn, and Kathryn couldn’t withdraw. Seven’s body dropped down hard against her captain, she slowly withdrew her hand. Kathryn’s hand still inside Seven she moved her fingers lightly pulsing against Seven’s orgasm. Two hard thrusts later Seven found herself in the throes of another orgasm. Her body trembled on top of Kathryn’s.

Kathryn slowly withdrew, rolling Seven onto the bed next to her. Kathryn pulled Seven in for a kiss, feeling Seven’s warm wet tears against her face.

“Darling” Kathryn called.

“Are you okay?” She asked cradling Seven’s head to her chest.

“Yes, Kathryn. It was overwhelming. The intensity of you and of our relationship overwhelms my senses at times. The sudden release is overwhelming. Please hold me for a moment.” Seven rested her head against Kathryn’s breasts. Kathryn stroked her lovers hair.

“I love you darling” Kathryn whispered.

“I love you, always” Seven whispered back.

Once Seven’s trembling, ceased, Kathryn brought her blond lover’s face to her own for a sweet kiss.

“We have work to do darling, I have to go be the Captain.” She kissed Seven’s plush lips again, relishing in the feeling of the beautiful naked borg against her.

Seven sighed heavily. “I suppose we do. I’ll be in astrometrics if you require me love” She kissed Kathryn again quickly and slipped to her feet to dress herself and resume her ships duties.

“Lieutenant Paris to Captain Janeway” Tom called over Kathryn’s combadge.

“Go ahead Paris” She answered.

“An A’Crun ship is a few kilometers to our port. They are requesting to speak with Captain Chakotay.”

“Stall them Paris and once I tell you transfer the call to holodeck 2.” Kathryn answered hurriedly donning her uniform.


	11. Rescue and Sacrifice

Kathryn rushed down to the holodeck. “Activate Janeway program 08” she shouted running through the doors. Immediately her features and voice were replaced by those of Chakotay. The grid behind her was replaced by the facade of her ready room.

“Tom transfer the A’Crun call to the holodeck” she called back in Chakotay’s voice.

The call appeared on the viewscreen in front of the Captain.

“Hello, Captain, I am Pok. I know you’ve dealt with H’Sut in the past but he is dealing with an escape at one of our facilities currently.” The large lizard like alien on the screen similar to Kyp in appearance but his scales were a darker color almost brown, tiny spots of green colored his cheeks. His face was much rougher and harder than Kyp’s, his eyes a deep red, almost black with an orange slit down the center.

“What can I do for you Pok?” Janeway responded, in Chakotay’s voice, Chakotay’s face masking her own. It almost made her sick to be impersonating _that bastard_ she thought.

“You have failed to meet the conditions we presented at our last meeting Captain. We met your request to stagger our transport from your vessel to alleviate the potential of your crew becoming aware of our deal but we have been unable to transport any females from your ship in the last several days. Needless to say we are becoming frustrated. We were promised 10 more females in addition to your liberated Borg female. We are very interested in studying her anatomy to see if it will prove useful to curing our plague. Either you comply and lower you shields to allow the transports or we will again begin lay siege to your ship. You pose very little threat to our civilization. You are one ship. We have a fleet of ships. If I scrambled our fighters they would be here in minutes.” Pok stared unflinching through the viewscreen. Kathryn did not doubt the seriousness of his threats.

 _That fucker gave up Seven too._ Kathryn fumed trying to not let her anger creep across the holo-Chakotay’s face. She sat quietly for a moment trying to collect her thoughts.

“Listen Pok” The Kathryn-masked-Chakotay started, steading their face.

“I will hold up my end of our deal. Unfortunately some of the women you have taken were our top engineers. I have those remaining working on the problem but some of the damages done to our ship by your people affected our shield emitters. They are currently stuck in the on position. As soon I can I’ll bring the shields down so you can resume the transports. If I need to, as an act of good faith, I’ll bring the Borg female to you myself. ” Kathryn continued disgusted at even having to say she’d give Seven to them.

“You have 48 hours. I’ll expect whatever phase equipment that you are using to fool our sensors is deactivated as well. I also must add that two of your women escaped from our facility one: Janeway and Torres. If they attempt to contact you turn them over to us immediately. As H’Sut told you before, our Omega facility allowed us to download your crew’s memory engrams the moment you entered into our sector of space. We are fully aware of your obsessions and recklessness with Janeway. We know of your past indiscretions with the Maquis and innocent men and women you blamed for your actions. We can and will provide those engrams to your crew before we slaughter you and all those aboard your ship. Maybe we could just wait for your crew to slaughter you first. Your call Captain, meet the terms of our deal, or suffer, and then suffer some more.” The slits in Pok’s eyes seemed to grow narrower as he gazed at Chakotay’s face.

“I will meet the terms. I’ll be back in contact with you in the next 24 hours to set up transports.” Janeway did her best to make Chakotay’s face look fearful.

“If you want to avoid destruction you won’t miss that meeting” Pok responded, immediately ending coms.

Kathryn sighed heavily. “Deactivate program” she called into the holodeck. Even the idea of offering Seven as a smoke screen to get the A’Crun off their backs temporarily brought tears to her eyes. She wiped the tears from her face and made her way to the bridge.

“Lieutenant Paris, report” she called strolling onto the bridge.

“The A’Crun ship has withdrawn. No other contacts” He responded.

“Very well, I’ll be in my ready room” She said barely breaking stride between when she walked onto the bridge and when she entered the ready room.

“Coffee, black” she called into the replicator. Her heart pounded. Her head throbbed. She was angry, _so angry_ with Chakotay for getting them wrapped up in this situation with the A’Crun. She briefly considered that the Federation would not fault her if she implemented capital punishment for his crimes. So far from home, no idea when or how they could make their way back, she couldn’t chance having someone aboard that was so volatile, caused a mutiny, and could challenge her position as Captain of the vessel. She quietly cursed herself for making him first officer. She cursed Admiral Janeway for putting them in an even more perilous position than they were in, in the Delta Quadrant. _How can I possibly hope to cure Tuvok’s neurological disease, bring order to a ship in chaos, bring justice to those that caused the chaos, rescue more than a dozen crew members from an alien species we know very little about, get the wreckage of Voyager into good enough shape to even be able to jump to warp speed, and find a way home from gods know where. And hope to keep Seven._ She thought, hands shaking so bad drops of hot coffee rained down on her hands from the cup. She cursed the coffee and set it down on her desk. She dropped down into her chair checking the logs for any new entries from the Senior Staff’s assignments.

Collecting her thoughts she knew she needed to inform her officers of the intelligence she was able to recover from Pok. Before she could reach to press her com-badge it chirped. “Tuvok to Captain, I think we have something. Please meet us in astrometrics.” Tuvok announced.

“On my way, Tuvok.” She pushed the dark thoughts to the back of her mind. _We’ve made it this far_ she thought. _If there is fate, if there are plans from whatever deities grace the skies, destruction can’t be in the cards. We’ve made it too far to simply blink out and fade from memory_. _However small it is we still have a chance_ she thought forcing hopeless from her mind to replace it with a tiny glimmer of hope. _And Seven_ she thought _I’ll have Seven even if we are stuck out here forever, she’ll be by my side. She’s everything, whether we make it home or not, she’s everything. Don’t fuck it up Kathryn._ She told herself. She assumed that since the timeline had been altered from what Admiral Janeway experienced that there would no further threat to Seven’s life.

-

“What do we have?” Kathryn asked, breezing into astrometrics, Captain’s facade firmly back in place.

“Kyp kindly pointed out the weak spots in facility 1, we have a plan for infiltration, here and here.” Tuvok said typing at the console in front of him. The facility schematics appeared on the viewscreen, two red points indicating their points of entry.

“Based on when our crew members were abducted, we believe they are being held here.” Tuvok pointed to a blue circle in the center of the two red points.

“I contacted some friends on the surface and there is a scheduled convoy from facility one to facility three six hours from now. I know the route they will take and I can get you and your team in position to assault the convoy before leading the others to facility one.” Kyp announced. His eyes narrowed on Kathryn.

“The defenses on facility one are minimal, a few security grids here and there, and the guards rotations are very predictable. I’ve provided that information to Kyp to brief his team with” Seven said eyebrow raised at Kathryn. Icheb stood to Seven’s side perplexed by the interaction.

She felt undressed under her lovers gaze.

“This is all good, very good. We were just hailed by an A’Crun vessel; we have 24 hours before they are knocking on Voyagers doors again. We need to get this done and be out of here by then. Let’s get moving folks, brief your people. Tuvok take control of the bridge and send Harry to the flight deck, Icheb we will need you here keep a transporter lock on both teams in case we need to get out of there in a hurry. B’Elanna and I need to check in with the Doctor then I’ll meet everyone on the flight deck.” The Captain announced flicking her com-badge.

“B’Elanna meet me in medbay, then be ready to move on the rescue operation” Kathryn called.

-

“Well Captain it looks like the serum is completely out of your system. I’d assume the building number of nanoprobes in your system finally did their job.” The Doctor announced holding a tricorder up to Kathryn’s side.

“Lieutenant Torres, you still have a significant amount of the substance in your system but I have synthesized an injection that will greatly reduce the effect on your hormones. It should get you through this mission _unscathed._ ” The Doctor quickly injected B’Elanna, before she could protest.

“Doctor I told you to halt work on the cure and focus on the EPH.” Kathryn called standing from her biobed.

“The EPH is ready whenever we need her. I had spare time” The Doctor chuckled arrogantly.

“Very well, activate your Emergency Command Holograph program and assist Tuvok on the bridge. I don’t need to tell you your medbay activities take priority if it becomes necessary.” Kathryn ordered.

“Very well Captain, good luck on your away mission” The Doctor responded, activating the ECH program, and proudly donning his red command uniform.

-

Tom boarded the Flyer first taking the helm. B’Elanna followed behind taking a seat to his right. Seven and Kathryn filed in assuming seats at the consoles behind Tom and B’Elanna. Kyp and Harry flopping down on the bench seat at the back of the Flyer.

“Permission to Depart.” Tom called to Tuvok.

“Very well, Delta Flyer, be safe.” Tuvok answered back.

“Alright folks, I assume everyone is up to speed on the plan. Seven, Ensign Kim, Kyp and myself will beam in, in position ahead of the convoy moving our people. We’ll set an assault for when the convoy reaches us. Once our attack has started on the convoy, Lieutenant Paris will transport Kyp back to the Delta Flyer and make way for facility one. With the attack on the convoy we anticipate that the A’Crun will send soldiers from facility one to assist; leaving it relatively undefended. Then Team 2 will make their move, free our remaining 16 crew members, transport back to the Delta Flyer, and make way for Voyager. Icheb is keeping communications open so that Team 1 can transport back directly to Voyager. The Flyer will be overloaded with 16 extra people so if you need, get in touch with Icheb to transport any of those that you rescue from the facility. If you become overwhelmed at the facility save everyone you can and transport back to the Flyer. None of you are expendable. I expect to see everyone back on Voyager safely in a couple of hours. The A’Crun sensors are still confused by the modifications Seven made so we have a fighting chance here but I suspect this is our only chance to get our Voyager family back together so, make it count.” Kathryn commanded.

-

On the surface Kyp worked hurriedly to set up electromagnetic pulse mines that would disable the engines of each vehicle once the lead vehicle reached their assault point. Seven worked to lay explosives that would activate 15 minutes after the pulse mines went off.

Harry took position with a phase sniper rifle several hundred yards ahead of their attack zone. He was tasked to take out any of the Commanders in the group. Kyp had described that they would wear blue uniforms in contrast to the yellow the rest of the soldiers would wear.

Kathryn took her position in a ditch to the side of the road at what would be roughly the center of what they expected to be a 6 vehicle convoy. The first two, Kyp described, would each carry a Commander. The third should carry their crew members. The last three would likely just be carrying supplies.

Kyp finished setting the pulse mines and settled into the ditch beside Kathryn. “In 30 minutes we should see the first vehicle pass the road crossing just ahead, the mines will distract them. Wait several minutes while they inspect their vehicles. Once Ensign Kim begins picking off the Commanders they will call for reinforcements. As soon as you start seeing additional vehicles in the distance make your move. Grab your crew members, take out whoever you need to and transport out” Kyp nodded to Kathryn, he brought a scaly hand to her shoulder. “I’ll see you back aboard Voyager Captain. Our plan may not be airtight but have faith that the gods will smile upon us today.” Kyp shot a half grin to the Captain.

“Delta Flyer-Kyp, ready for transport” he called.

Kathryn watched Seven settle into a spot across the road from her in the ditch parallel to her own. Kathryn met Seven’s gaze and briefly melted into her lovers cerulean blue eyes. Kathryn dropped her head to the sandy ground in front of her. “Be safe my love” she called quietly.

Seven held tight to her phase rifle. Her heart fluttered when Kathryn’s eyes met hers. _Always_ she thought. _I will always love you._ She hoped somehow that thought would carry to Kathryn across the few yards of road between them.

All went according to plan. The A’Crun vehicles entered the assault zone. The pulse mines went off and quietly shut down the engines of their six Humvee style vehicles. Harry sighted in on the first Commander he saw step from the second vehicle. He waited and listened for Kathryn’s command to open fire.

Seven spotted Ensign Wildman in the third vehicle with another female from engineering. They sat cuffed in the back. Seven caught Kathryn’s eyes across the road and indicated through hand signals where their crew members were being held.

They counted 20 A’Crun in all between the 6 vehicles. 19 A’Crun were outside their vehicles trying to determine the issue with their engines. Kathryn signaled to Harry with the flash of a mirror to strike when she saw the second commander step from the first vehicle in the convoy.

Two popping noises, two commanders lay on their backs in the road. The remaining 18 A’Crun looked around stunned trying to figure where the shots had come from. Harry, in a heavy sandy camouflage suit, lay flat on his stomach, blending in easily with his surroundings. Kathryn watched as one of the convoy members radioed for help. She and Seven both trained their eyes to the road behind the convoy watching for the second wave to approach.

 _10 minutes_ Seven thought to herself. 10 minutes until the explosives in the road would activate. The A’Crun backup should be coming up the road very soon.

 _7 minutes_ , Kathryn looked down at her watch. They would be cutting this very close. The second convoy still nowhere in sight.

 _5 minutes_. Harry lifted his head hearing the light chirp from the alarm he’d set on his watch. They’d have to strike very soon if they hoped to rescue anyone or themselves. He peaked through the sandy coverings over him to see the A’Crun still mulling around their vehicles baffled.

 _4 minutes_. Seven sighted the first of the backup vehicles coming over the horizon. She pressed her com-badge “Go” she called.

Seven, Kathryn, and Harry stood in unison and opened fire on the convoy, 16 of them down in a flash.

The Delta Flyer activated transport, B’Elanna and Tom finding themselves at one end of the prison, Kyp at the other.

Seven bolted to the doors of the fourth vehicle to free the two women handcuffed in the back. Harry trained the scope of his rifle on the area around Seven. One of the A’Crun popped up to her right side. _Pop_ , he dropped to the ground.

Kathryn moved to meet Seven at the back of the vehicle. _One missing_ Kathryn thought. Harry moved slowly toward his teammates scanning his scope from side to side for the remaining A’Crun.

Seven cut the ropes that held Ensign Wildman and the female engineer. She tapped her com-badge to beam back to Voyager as the last A’Crun sprung out from underneath the vehicle knocking her onto her back on the sandy ground. He sighted his phaser on her head and tapped the trigger.

Kathryn dove shielding Seven’s body with her own. A crack of electricity and she was struck in the chest just above her heart, her uniform jacket scorched. The light around her faded from vision but she managed to fire her own phaser and the A’Crun fell to the ground.

“Now! Transport five now. Beam the Captain and me directly to medbay” Seven yelled into her communicator. Icheb obliged. The second convoy reached the carnage just as the Voyager crew members shimmered from sight.

-

“Now” Kyp called into the communicator.

B’Elanna and Tom dropped through the hatch beneath them and quickly located the guard office.

Kyp slipped in at the other end of the cells and with a quick neck snap and knife throw dropped two of the guards.

B’Elanna found the console to release all of the cells and pounded in the command to open all of the cell doors. Tom dropped a charging A’Crun with a strong baseball swing to his neck with his rifle.

The prisoners poured into the passageway between the cells. They quickly overwhelmed the remaining guards. Tom stepped out and yelled “Voyager crew to me!” Naomi Wildman ran to B’Elanna who scooped her into her arms. 8 Crewmembers in total surrounded Tom.

“There should be 16” Tom yelled into the carnage.

“The resequencing, some died, this is all that is coming” Crewman Jess answered back.

Tom double tapped his badge signaling transport to the Flyer.

He quickly input the commands to transport the remaining members of Voyager. They huddled in the small space at the back of the Flyer.

“Voyager we were only able to rescue 8.” Tom called solemnly.

“Tuvok to Flyer, Permission to dock. Team 1 is back aboard. Standby to jump to warp as soon as you have docked.” Tuvok replied.

The flyer landed gently in the shuttle bay and in a flash Voyager jumped to warp 5.


	12. Coming Back Together

Back in the space outside the A’Crun system, Voyager was safe from their attacks. The A’Crun had not perfected Warp travel. Their ships could make up to warp 7, but not sustain it for longer than a short burst. The Voyager could out run them. They made best speed away from the system.

“So, Kyp” Harry asked. “You never told us exactly what you did on your planet. You know a lot about a lot of things I wouldn’t expect a bartender to know.”

Harry had been tasked by Tuvok to continue familiarizing Kyp with the ship and to offer him permanent quarters. Tuvok knew that Kyp could prove to be an invaluable guide to this Quadrant of space.

Kyp followed Harry nearly in step with him to a vacant room on the ship. It was barely furnished. A bed, a synthesizer, and a small table graced the nearly empty room. _Hardly Officers Quarters_ Harry thought _but nicer than where he’s been._ The small room was vacated by Crewman Aylo when he was taken into custody.

“This will do fine sir” Kyp called to Harry. “and to answer your question, I was employed by the government to study the virus among our women and find a cure. A genetic biologist. Women can produce children together among the A’Crun, but men cannot without a woman. My wife showed a partial immunity to the pandemic and she was injected with the same serum your Captain and Mrs. Torres received. She received the same offer, breed with an A’Crun soldier or die. She chose the latter. My sister chose the same fate. As if the virus wasn’t enough, our government chose to introduce that deadly serum to any A’Crun woman that refused to become a machine for child bearing. I strongly believe the A’Crun will completely die out. The choices of our government have made it a certainty, and I don’t necessarily believe it to be a bad thing. If these are the choices we make what right do we have to exist.” Kyp’s orange eyes swelled with tears.

Harry wrapped an arm around the large alien’s back, comforting him with a hand lightly running down his back. “But Kyp, you are compassionate, you are loving, and you saved our crew. You didn’t know us and you came to our rescue. Surely you deserve saving, and if so, then there have to be others among the A’Crun worth saving. Just consider it. Perhaps the Doctor can help you synthesize a cure.” Harry answered.

Kyp leaned into Harry and placed a soft kiss on Harry’s cheek. “You are one of the youngest among this crew, I can see clearly, you still have the hope and optimism of a young man.”

-

“I just don’t know” The Doctor called staring at his tricorder readings.

“She’s fine, I’m sure she will wake up shortly. I can find no injuries. I’m sure the nanoprobes drained energy from somewhere, it seems to me she just needs to sleep. She’s receiving fluids and nutrients through the IV attached. She’ll be fine Seven.” The Doctor called to the nearly distraught Borg.

“Scan her again, she took a phaser blast to the chest! You don’t just take a nap and recover from a phaser to the chest!” Seven yelled at the Doctor.

The Doctor lightly took hold of Seven’s hand. “Listen, every reading I’m getting is showing no injuries. You know the nanoprobes were reproducing in her system. Perhaps they protected her from the phaser blast. Give it a little time, she’ll wake up. Honestly, I am baffled at how a human could take this damage and keep breathing but she is. I’ve scanned her a dozen times, there are no injuries. The only thing my tricorder is picking up is exhaustion. I need you to calm down and remember that I am loaded with all of the medical knowledge from the Federation. I promise you Seven, she will awaken within the next twelve hours. Go regenerate. I will call you the moment her eyes open.” The Doctor said softly guiding Seven to the doors of the medbay.

-

Kathryn groaned loudly. “What happened?” she asked looking up to the Doctor.

“Well, it seems you put yourself in the path of a phaser blast meant for Seven, lucky for Seven. It seems the nanoprobes in your system are on a sort of hyperdrive. I had to re-situate your IV twelve different times because your body kept healing around the installed needles. I think we need to consider installing a port for you to regenerate. I can’t quite determine the reason the nanoprobes are reproducing but I am concerned that without the ability to regenerate at least once every few days you will suffer from nearly constant exhaustion until the nanoprobes are clear of your system. With the nanoprobes you are very nearly impervious to harm. I don’t mean to try to sway your decision one way or another but the way they are functioning in your system could quite literally provide a cure for nearly every disorder _any_ humanoids are suffering from. So what it comes down to is a choice between allowing the nanoprobes to die out, which means letting your energy drop to nearly starvation, or we could support your system and you could allow me to install a small port in your lower back that would provide ships energy to your system supporting the nanoprobes. I am almost certain I have devised a way to do that by utilizing one of the ships bio-neural gel packs to make it as minimally invasive as possible. It’s your call, Captain. Also, I think I can use your nanoprobes to cure Lieutenant Tuvok.” The Doctor’s face contorted into concern.

“Do it, install the port. I can’t overlook the chance to save Tuvok from the fate that Admiral Janeway described to me. Maybe whatever is going on inside me can be used to cure others. We can’t pass up this chance Doctor.” Kathryn stated firmly.

“Very well, I’ve studied Borg implements and their installation but I will require Seven’s expertise for the operation. Once her regeneration cycle is complete we will go ahead with the procedure.” The Doctor announced.

-

Tuvok interrogated each of the mutineers. Each and every Maquis had witnessed Chakotay execute another Maquis for perceived ‘war crimes’. Several of the Maquis crewmembers admitted that Chakotay carried out unfair executions. He presumed guilt without any proof. They had chalked it up to being the nature of the Maquis. B’Elanna was the last of the interrogations he performed. He knew she was loyal to Chakotay and worried that she would not be completely open about her experiences with him. To Tuvok’s surprise she quickly opened up, perhaps as a result of knowing he traded her to the A’Crun.

“There was one operation. We moved on a small village full of Cardassians. They were a potential site for a weapons depo. While not an active Cardassian weapon’s site, we received intelligence that they could become one. Our mission was to interrogate the villagers, find out what they knew, and stop the Cardassians from placing any weapons close to our systems. When I walked into the village I caught Chakotay in the embrace of one of the Cardassian women. He swore up and down that it was consensual but thinking back her face said otherwise. The night we prepared to depart the system, all of the Maquis were standing down because the villagers were not a threat, but we woke in the morning to find a nightmare. Every single one of the Cardassians in the village had been murdered. More than murdered though, some of the women had obviously been raped and all the villagers were killed with a knife, most in their sleep. Chakotay blamed Jones for it. He told us he’d seen Jones leering at the women in the village and that Jones had stolen his knife. We found the knife on Jones, so of course no one protested to Jones’ execution.” B’Elanna recounted, with shadows behind her eyes.

“When the Captain told me of his attempt to rape her, it all made a lot of sense. I regret every bit of support I gave that _bastard_ ” she spat.

“I’m not Maquis anymore Tuvok, I am Voyager. I am part of Voyager, don’t for a second think that I have any loyalty to anyone besides our Captain and Tom.”

-

Kathryn walked onto the mess deck to attempt the dinner Neelix had prepared for them for their return celebration as he called it. The mess deck was mostly empty. No doubt most crew members had replicated dinners, afraid of Neelix’s cuisine.

She obtained a plate of what looked like mashed potatoes topped with a sort of cabbage octopus all drizzled with an orange-brown sauce. “Thank you, Neelix” she called examined the contents of her plate.

“Captain, over here” Tom called from a lone table near the window.

Kathryn couldn’t get enough of looking out at the stars. These stars were different than any she had seen. She didn’t know these constellations. She could trace them, interpret them anyway she liked; she was enchanted with the idea.

She took a seat across the small table from Tom.

“So” Tom said cramming a mouthful of the slop Neelix had provided into his mouth.

“You and Seven are finally official?” He asked with a smug grin.

“Finally?” She asked hazarding a taste of the food on her plate.

“Well, yes Captain. It’s not really a secret that you two have been in love with each other for some time. We all see the way you look at each other, the time you spend together. I don’t mean this as some sort of negative judgement I just mean finally you two are seeing in one another what we all witnessed long before either of you were ready to admit it. It turns out the Captain isn’t a bionic woman after all.” Tom chuckled.

She briefly thought she should take offense to the crew speculating, and considered taking offense to Tom’s observation. She thought better of it, they were right. It couldn’t be denied, she’d been in love with Seven ever since Seven became an individual. She’d tried to deny it to herself but her crew saw right through her. She chose to try the road she hadn’t traveled before; they knew her sometimes better than she knew herself.

“There was a long period of time there I tried to convince myself that I was not in love with a woman because it challenged what I thought about my sexuality, and Seven was _difficult._ She challenged me at every turn. When it comes down to it Tom, I’ve never been more attracted to, more confounded by, or more absolutely head over heels in love with another person. I could not have foreseen this when she came aboard Voyager but it just feels so perfectly right.” She shot a half grin to Tom.

“I am happy for you Captain, break out of that shell sometimes. Who knows when or if we will get home and if, if we don’t make it home in our lifetime we have a nice family here aboard Voyager. I’m all for two beautiful, loving women leading that family. We are behind you.” Tom said smiling, shoveling more of the slop pile into his mouth.

“Not half bad” he said grinning.

-

“The Captain wishes to offer both you and me a permanent position aboard Voyager.” Seven started, glancing to Icheb who worked trying to find anything on the scanners around Voyager.

“What do you think?” Icheb asked softly.

“I think it is her way of saying that we are required if she is to get the ship home safely. She wants to strengthen her command after the mutiny. She wants us as officers to support her command position.” Seven said flatly.

“But what do you think?” Icheb inquired.

“My perspective is biased because, in discovering my human emotions, I have fallen in love with the Captain. “ Seven replied glancing away from Icheb.

“I knew that already, Seven. I am fairly certain that everyone that has seen the two of you together knew you were in love before either of you recognized it. But what do you think about both of us becoming Starfleet officers?” he asked

“I think it shows support for the Captain. We are smart, capable, strong ex-borgs and while I disagree with some of Starfleet’s policies, the support for our Captain and Voyager is more important than Starfleet. I will accept the position and if you choose, I believe you should as well. You spoke of joining Starfleet upon our return to the Alpha Quadrant. You have that chance here and now Icheb” Seven smiled warmly at Icheb.

-

Chirp chirp. The bell to the ready room rang.

“Come” Kathryn called thankful for the distraction from the astrometrics report that gave them little indication of what direction they should be moving to get home.

“Captain, I have a report on the mutineers for you, as well as recommendations.” Tuvok said standing taught in front of her desk.

“As far as the details of the investigation you can read them here.” He said passing a padd to her.

Kathryn glanced over the padd.

“I cannot say with certainty that Chakotay committed the acts that were discussed in regards to his time with the Maquis but I believe there is a 90% certainty that he did. In addition, his behavior towards you and with creating munity aboard Voyager lends more credibility to the fact that he very likely committed those actions. I cannot in good conscience recommend that he stay aboard Voyager. I also cannot say that he should be somehow put off the ship. I believe, however, there is a happy median. We can, as soon as the Doctor wakes him up, place him into stasis. Ensign Kim and Lieutenant Torres have been working on encryptions for a stasis pod that would be nearly impossible to break. I think it would be wise to transport his stasis pod to an empty holding tank below the ship to ensure no crew access. When we return to the Alpha Quadrant Starfleet can decide his fate.”

“Very well, Tuvok let’s make that happen.” She replied

“As far as the other mutineers, I believe if we provide a full debrief on Chakotay’s actions they can be reintegrated with our crew. I believe a full brief to the crew on what is happening, where we are, and _why_ this is all happening is in order. You should be the one to give that brief, Captain.” Tuvok said.

“I’ll get myself together and prepare to make that brief. In the meantime, the Doctor has the EPH online. I want psychiatric evals of our entire crew. Let’s get the EPH to start setting up those appointments, no exceptions. I even want the senior staff evaluated”

-

Kathryn busied herself in her ready room setting up the ship’s systems to broadcast a message ship wide. She took a heavy swig of the black coffee on the desk in front of her and glanced over the report Tuvok had provided once more and took a deep breath. “Computer broadcast my announcement to all the ships spaces.” She called.

“Good evening Voyager, this is Captain Janeway. Please stop what you are doing and listen, I’ll try to make this as brief as possible. A lot has happened since we were pulled into this quadrant and while we have a moment to breathe it is time to get everyone caught up. We are still a crew and we are still committed to getting Voyager and her crew back to the Alpha Quadrant. However; it is with a heavy heart I have to tell you we lost eight of our female crew members back on Acrunmoge.” Kathryn ran down the list of names. _All lower deck crew members, all young women_. She clenched her jaw to stop from tearing up and continued.

“A memorial service will be held on the mess deck at 2000 hours. All crew members that wish to attend shall be excused from their duty stations.” She paused again. “It is also with a heavy heart I have to announce Commander Chakotay has been relieved of his commission and of all duties aboard Voyager. Crewmen Goetz and Aylo are also relieved of their posts. All three will be held in stasis until we arrive back at Earth where we will turn them over to the Federation. We are not disclosing where they will be held but I can tell you there will be no tolerance for tampering with their stasis pods. I will not hesitate to immediately enact the same protocol to anyone found guilty of tampering. You can find a full list of the offenses for which they are being held in the ships directory under the file name ‘Mutiny and Sabotage aboard Voyager’. Several other crew members are being charged with infractions for their part in the mutiny but the senior staff will handle that privately.” She took another deep breath.

“We don’t know why or how we ended up in this quadrant but from even before our arrival Chakotay had manipulated all of us. He attacked me in my quarters and left me to die when the attack on the ship came. He then struck backdoor deals with the A’Crun military, dropping our shields at scheduled times to allow the abduction of 20 women from our ship, myself included.” Kathryn recounted all of the events that led them to today. She detailed the effects of the A’Crun serum and activities that were taking place on the planet.

“I understand that our situation may seem more hopeless than ever before but we will make it home. We’ve weathered many storms before today and we will make it through this one, we just have to pull our Voyager family back together. I should also note that as a precaution each crewmember will submit to a psychiatric analysis by our newly activated Emergency Psychiatric Hologram; any crew member refusing to do so will be relieved from duty. The EPH will arrange those appointments.” She shuffled around a padd on her desk.

“Now onto the last order of business, all crewmembers that did not participate in the mutiny are being advanced one rank. Also the following changes in the command structure and officer promotions will take effect immediately: Lieutenant Tuvok will assume the role of First Officer and maintain the role of Tactical Officer at the rank of Commander, Ensign Kim will assume the role of Second Officer and Security Officer at the rank of Lieutenant Commander, Lieutenant Paris will be promoted to Lieutenant Commander and assume the newly created position of Conning Officer, lastly Lieutenant Torres Chief Engineering Officer at the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Additionally the following appointments have been offered and accepted: Neelix, Ensign-Morale Officer, Seven of Nine, Lieutenant Commander-Lead Astrometrics Officer, and Icheb, Ensign- Astrometrics Officer. Correct your ranks folks. You will also see the A’Crun Kyp around the ship for at least the time being. I expect everyone to exercise kindness and professionalism in his presence; he saved our ship.” Kathryn paused again trying to decide the best way to end her speech. The doors to the ready room whooshed open, and Seven entered sporting her newly acquired Science Officer uniform, with the provisional Lieutenant Commander bar on her collar. Kathryn looked up and smiled.

“One last thing, I am suspending all Starfleet protocols regarding interpersonal relationships, so long as professionalism is maintained when on duty. We do not know when we will get home; make the most of your time off duty. To quell any rumors, as of the moment Seven of Nine was appointed a provisional officer, I am breaking protocol. I will take responsibility for any and all breaches of this Starfleet rule when we arrive back in Starfleet space. Let’s get this ship pieced back together, mourn our losses, and find our way home.” She finished signing off.

Seven stood, still just inside the door, grinning wildly at Kathryn. “I didn’t expect..” Seven started her eyes fluttered from side to side, the smile slowing spreading across her face.

“Starfleet protocol be damned. The crew would’ve found out sooner or later, I just made it sooner.” Kathryn said returning a warm smile, meeting the beautiful cerulean blue eyes that greeted hers.

“I told you always and I mean it with my whole being. I’d move star systems for you darling.” Kathryn stood, trying to read Seven’s surprised but soft expression.

Seven moved to close the distance between them wrapping her arms around Kathryn’s lower back. She lifted the smaller woman off the ground until Kathryn’s head was above her own. Kathryn, looking down, took Seven’s face in her hands and pressed in for a sweet sensual kiss.

“I would very much like to take you right here, right now” Seven whispered hotly into Kathryn’s ear.

“Wait darling” she said taking a deep breath, trying to force her arousal back down to a reasonable level.

“There is one more thing you and I need to discuss, and another matter for the Senior Staff” she said, Seven lowering her back to her own feet.

“The Doctor tells me I need a regeneration port. And also The Omega Directive…” Kathryn finished


	13. Confessions

Kathryn walked onto the bridge with Seven in tow. “You are all relieved to attend the memorial ceremony, Commander Tuvok will preside, Lieutenant Seven and I will monitor the ships systems from here” She announced. Harry, Tom and Tuvok all filed from the bridge leaving Seven and Kathryn alone. One by one all of the ship’s duty stations transferred control to the bridge.

“Sounds like the memorial will be all hands on deck, with the exception of you and I.” Kathryn said manning the console at the back of the room normally reserved for the Tactical officer.

“Looks like” Seven replied from the helm.

“Shall we discuss the borg implementation you are willing to let the Doctor install on your body?” Seven said her voice low and angry.

“I told you Seven it is not up for debate. The Doctor’s study on my nanoprobes could save Tuvok and who knows how many others.” Kathryn responded flatly.

“So you will allow yourself to become _less human_ for the benefit of others, when all this time you have helped me to become as human as I could, despite the borg implements throughout my anatomy?” Seven answered her frustration building. “You could allow him to sample the nanoprobes then let them disperse naturally from your system, without any risk to your own humanity” Seven said.

“The nanoprobes have already saved my life at least once and they pulled that damned A’Crun serum from my bloodstream. We don’t know why they are there but this is a very real opportunity to do some groundbreaking research in medicine. They are not harming me. The Doctor stated that they do not pose a risk to me. Installing the port would be minimally invasive, and would support the nanoprobes. I don’t see any real danger here Seven, besides that we don’t know why my biology is supporting their reproduction.” Kathryn finished trying to use a soft tone to calm Seven.

“I am part Borg” Seven stood from the chair and turned to face Kathryn across the bridge, “You don’t have to be!” she shouted. Her face quickly turned from anger to a heavy sadness.

“When I think that our lovemaking could have resulted in you being somehow _less human_ or less than the Kathryn Janeway that rescued me from the Borg, risking everything for the sake of one woman, it fills me with a deep sadness. I was just one woman you knew nothing about and you rescued me despite the peril in doing so to give me a _chance_ to experience choice, emotion, to become a true individual. Your heroism, virtues, and morals made me love you Kathryn. If you become less human, less _Kathryn Janeway_ and more like a mindless Borg, how many countless others are being deprived of your presence in their lives, how many countless others could you have saved if your humanity were intact? Your humanity, virtues, heroism, and morals are too precious to risk for anything. Captain Kathryn Janeway and all that she is too precious a gift to the universe to risk for any gain.” Seven’s eyes swelled with tears, she slipped back into the chair at the helm, facing away from Kathryn’s loving gaze.

Kathryn made her way from the tactical console to Seven’s side. She grabbed Seven’s borg-mesh hand from the console and kissed her knuckles. Kathryn’s face streaked with tears. She knew Seven loved her but she did not realize Seven had such a deep respect, she was humbled at Seven’s words, and her heart swelled.

“Seven, darling.” She said attempting to catch her lover’s eyes.

“I am not losing myself. I am the same today as I was yesterday, but today I can take a phaser blast to the chest and keep walking. Without the nanoprobes, today, one of us would be down on the flight deck grieving the other. These damn things swimming through my system gave us today.” Kathryn dropped her head into Seven’s lap.

Seven lifted Kathryn’s head from her lap, she tried to kiss away the tears streaming down the older woman’s face. “I love you, with every bit of me, I’ll support whatever decision you make.” She slipped to the floor kneeling in front of Kathryn. She was suddenly grief-stricken with the realization that they had nearly lost every moment since the A’crun soldier knocked her to the ground. She buried her face in Kathryn’s chest sobbing, letting every bit of anger, sadness, and uncertainty she had held onto since Kathryn’s abduction stream down her face.

Kathryn stroked the blonde’s soft hair. “Shh darling, it’s okay I am right here” She used her other arm to hold Seven tightly against her. They stayed that way for what felt to Kathryn to be hours; her holding Seven tightly while she sobbed against her chest, nearly sitting in her lap on the floor of the bridge. Kathryn’s uniform was streaked with the wetness of Seven’s tears. Kathryn trained her ears now and again to the ships sensors listening for trouble.

Sevens sobs started to slow and then subside. “I am sorry Kathryn, I lost myself there for a moment” Seven sniffled.

“It is okay, love” She planted a soft kiss on Seven’s forehead. “We should assume our stations. We are the only crew members left at duty stations.” She said softly, standing and with each of Seven’s hands in her own guiding Seven to her feet.

“I considered my own mortality briefly. I’ve lived millions of lives with the memories the collective acquired from those that were assimilated. Loves lost and loves saved and all ending at the moment each individual was violently jerked from their lives. Nothing has ever made me more…” Seven paused choking back yet more tears. “More unsteady, than the thought that you would not be my side, that I would not again be able to embrace you. I cannot imagine a reality where I stand alone at the memorial on the flight deck, _without you_ ” Seven said wrapping the fingers on both her hands between Kathryn’s.

She pulled Kathryn against her, her supple lips pressing hard against Kathryn’s, her hands wandering down Kathryn’s back gripping against her lower back and butt.

“Please, Kathryn, make love to me.” She whimpered into the Captain’s ear.

“Darling, we are on the bridge, we are on duty, and no one else on the ship is watching any of the sensors.” Kathryn whispered breathlessly back to her gorgeous lover, hair mussed, cheeks blushing a deep red.

“We will listen; I need to feel you inside of me, Kathryn. I require all of my senses to be filled with your presence. Please, I need you lover.” Seven pleaded.

Kathryn, losing herself in her lover’s pleas, kissed Seven deeply and guided her back to the Captain’s chair. “Sit” she said softly but eagerly.

Kathryn used one hand on Seven’s shoulder to guide her gently back against the Captain’s chair the other found its way to the break between the jacket and pants of Seven’s uniform. She slipped her hand through the waistband and down Seven’s taught stomach. She found her hand greeted with an extreme amount of heat and wetness between Seven’s thighs.

“Please” Seven called to Kathryn her fingers dragging heavily up and down Kathryn’s back.

“Always” Kathryn answered back probing Seven’s mouth with her tongue, her body hovering over Seven in the Captain’s chair.

Her fingers rubbing lightly then applying pressure to Seven’s clit. “Yes, please, Kathryn” Seven moaned. Kathryn slipped two fingers inside her lover.

Seven’s breath caught briefly in her throat. Soft moans slipped through her lips. Kathryn rocked her fingers back and forth slowly using the knuckle on her thumb to stimulate her lover’s clit.

“More, harder” Seven groaned.

Kathryn, obliging Seven’s request, moved her fingers in and out of Seven, harder and faster. She lowered herself onto Seven’s thigh, immediately noting her own wetness when her panties and uniform pants were pressed against her.

Kathryn matched the speed of her hand in and out of her lover with the pressure she ground on Seven’s thigh with her pelvis. “Oh yes, please” Seven whimpered. Kathryn buried her fingers as far as she could press them into Seven, dragging herself faster and faster up and down Seven’s thigh.

Seven came hard flooding Kathryn’s hand with the effects of her orgasm. Kathryn, feeling Seven’s orgasm, came and felt her own wetness soak Seven’s uniform through her own pants.

The doors to the bridge slipped open. Kathryn jumped from her position over Seven. Seven sat stationary in the Captain’s chair, still calming herself from the orgasm, nearly oblivious.

“The memorial service has ended” Tuvok stated, looking suspiciously between Seven and the Captain. Kathryn saw in his eyes that he had an understanding of what was happening before he entered the bridge.

“I have the bridge, Captain if you need to excuse yourself, Seven as well of course.” Tuvok stated.

“Very well Tuvok.” Kathryn’s cheek’s blushed deeply as she grabbed Seven’s hand and led her from the bridge.

Kathryn’s uniform was soaked with sweat, tears, and fluids from both hers and Seven’s orgasms. She hoped to make it to her quarters without running into any crew members. _No luck_ she thought seeing Tom and B’Elanna walk up the passageway.

“Captain it was a beautiful ceremony, Tuvok was…” Tom started.

“Mr. Paris we can speak about this later, I have important matters to attend to.” She said quickly cutting him off, ducking into her quarters, and pulling Seven in behind her.

“Is it just me or were both their uniforms soaked?” Tom asked surprised.

“Don’t ask questions about things you aren’t prepared for the answers to” B’Elanna replied laughing and pulling Tom in for a kiss.

-

Kyp and Harry entered the empty conference room together deep in discussion about human burial customs and tradition.

“Where is everyone?” Harry wondered aloud.

“Running late it would seem” Kyp responded, unconcerned taking a seat at the opposite end of the table from the Captain’s chair. Harry slid into the seat next to him.

“So among the A’Crun, what are your customs for the dead?” Harry inquired

“It is similar to that of the ancient Earth culture funeral pyres. We believe that upon burning the body the soul is being freed to move onto the next higher plane of life. The ashes are then scattered in a short ceremony usually among the homestead or their favorite place from their life. This is followed by a celebration of life, usually little mourning takes place, we honor those that have passed, and celebrate their ascension. A’Crun death rites are taken very seriously, the body is tended to by the family of the deceased and incinerated in a pit dug into the ground. It is believed among the A’Crun that if funeral rites do not take place exactly as prescribed in our religious texts then the spirit will not ascend and will forever be tormented on a plane between the living and the dead.” Kyp sighed orange eyes colored with pain.

“My spouse and my sister, I was their only living family, and I was not permitted to attend to them. I hope if there are gods somewhere among the stars they can overlook that transgression and allow their spirits to be at peace in the next plane.” Kyp took a deep breath, trying to stop his tears from falling.

“Kyp, I can’t imagine that if there are gods somewhere out there they would allow the fallings of a corrupt government to doom good people to eternal pain.” Harry patted hard muscular Kyp’s shoulder.

“I suppose not” Kyp hoped.

Icheb and Neelix walked into quietly and sat next to Harry and Kyp.

The next time the conference room doors slid open the Captain and Seven strolled in, freshly showered, and took their seats at the head of the table.

“Where is everyone?” Kathryn asked Harry.

“Late. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that you and Seven were 5 minutes late.” Harry chuckled.

“Mr. Kim, if you don’t want me to immediately revert your rank to Ensign you will cease any discussion about my late arrival.” Kathryn grinned at Harry.

“Lips sealed.” He responded dragging his index finger and thumb pressed together across his lips.

Tuvok entered next. “I apologize for my tardiness Captain I had to leave crewman Jess in charge on the bridge, she required in depth briefing on what to do if any of the ship’s alarms activated. Lieutenant Paris has been training her at the helm but she is still not competent enough to be named a bridge officer.” He took his seat at the large table.

“Sorry, sorry” B’Elanna called, with red cheeks, straightening her hair as she walked through the door, Tom behind her. Kathryn shot them both a knowing nod.

“I assume by next week I can count on both of you to be on time for meetings.” Kathryn said a smile creeping at the corners of her mouth.

“The Doctor assures me this will not be a problem” B’Elanna said back, blushing.

“Speaking of The Doctor, where is he?” Kathryn asked.

“When Kyp and I passed the medbay be was reviewing your most recent scans Captain.” Harry replied.

“Doctor to the conference room” Kathryn called over her com-badge.

“On my way Captain, I apologize for the delay” he responded his voice rattled.

-

With her senior staff present Kathryn commenced the meeting.

“In the midst of all of the craziness of the last several days I forgot to mention a very important issue brought to my attention when I impersonated Chakotay to the A’Crun Commander Pok. There is an Omega powered facility on the surface of Acrunmoge.” She said.

“Several actually, Captain.” Kyp added respectfully.

“Kyp, Omega particles are unbelievably dangerous. If they are being synthesized we have a Top Secret directive among our Starfleet Command to destroy them at all costs. Also, Kyp, Top Secret so please..” she said stopping when Kyp started to speak.

“I understand it does not leave this room, Captain.” Kyp interjected.

“Yes, sir. These facilities, what do they do? Do they produce the particles somewhere on the planet?” Kathryn asked.

“Well, Acrunmoge was not originally our home planet, I do not fully know the history of our species but we arrived here some thousands of years ago. The production facility was here, we figured out how to operate it and use the power of the particles. We have not been able to reverse engineer and recreate the facility itself, some have tried but the technology is still much too advanced for our civilization. That being said there is one production facility but the particles themselves are used to power four different reactors that provide power to each of the continents. There is an engram extraction facility I have heard rumor of that our government uses to extract memories from and bribe passing Starships. The last facility controls the satellites orbiting the planet that keep the planet’s sensor grids online. I should also mention that for a long period of time I had access to the Acrunmoge government database. I was a bioscientist on the planet; I studied the plague that afflicted our females before my spouse and sister were killed. After I defected from the military I was recruited by a man named Lev. Lev has agents throughout the Acrunmoge government. If we are looking to bring down the Omega facilities he will be the man to help us.” Kyp replied glancing to the Captain’s steel-blue eyes.

“Kyp, you keep surprising me. That answers every other question I had. Let’s get in touch with Lev, get him aboard the ship if we can. Find out what information Lev can provide. Kyp are you comfortable with our plan to take out these facilities on your home planet? I can promise no matter your answer you will not be harmed.” She said looking softly at the oversized alien crouched into the small chair.

“I am onboard with your plan and I do not doubt that you are genuine in your concern for both the particles being allowed to exist and for my own wellbeing. But I do have two requests to make of you and your crew. First, with your permission, allow Lev and I access to your Doctor to study and hopefully cure the plague. “He started and paused.

“Done, and the second request?” she asked

“Regardless of the outcome of this mission and the cure from the plague, I would like to stay aboard Voyager with your crew. I can be of use to you in finding your way through this quadrant and I feel I have thoroughly demonstrated my loyalty to assisting you and your crew wherever needed. There is nothing left for me on that dusty planet and perhaps here, among your kind and loyal crew, I can rediscover my purpose” He glanced around the room his serious scaly face drawing into a wide smile.

“Any objections?” Kathryn asked, eyebrow raised. No one moved to speak.

“Very well Kyp, you are part of the Voyager family now. I will make it official later and designate a position for you aboard the ship.” Kathryn said scanning the room.

“If there are no alibis, I’d like us all to get to work finding entrance points and shutdown procedures for each of the Omega facilities, and Seven, please work on the protocol for neutralizing the particles. Doctor, get to work with Kyp on the cure for that plague” Kathryn continued. She went down the list assigning each of her senior officers with tasks to complete their mission. “Dismissed” she announced.

“Captain, please wait, I need to speak to you alone.” The Doctor called as everyone else filed out of the conference room.

“Yes, Doctor?” She replied when the last of the staff exited the room.

The Doctor moved to stand in front of her. “Please sit Captain; this is going to come as a shock to you.” He said.

“What is it? Is there something wrong with my scans?” She asked nervously.

“No, nothing is wrong per se. The nanoprobe count in your system is still increasing as expected. You are perfectly healthy. However, while reviewing your scans from this morning I discovered that you are pregnant.”


	14. Baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I updated this chapter 10 Apr, see notes at the end for details.

“No” Kathryn replied firmly.

“Wait, Captain, listen, I checked the scans a dozen times, I checked your blood work. There is an embryo…”

“No, if I’m pregnant then Chakotay… or those damned A’crun... No!” She shouted cutting him off. “Check it again.”

“There is no mistake, Kathryn I checked and double checked…”

“No, I am not carrying one of those _fuckers’_ babies. Medbay now, we will check it again” She ordered in a rage. They’d violated her; she knew that, Chakotay had tried to forcefully take her, and the A’Crun in shooting her full of whatever drug they used but this was unfathomable.

-

Kathryn stormed into medbay just ahead of the Doctor.

“Please state the nature of your psychiatric emergency” An older woman with short black hair, glasses and a grey sweater with black slacks, stated as she walked through the door.

“Computer, deactivate EPH” Kathryn demanded. The woman faded from sight.

“Run it again Doctor.” She ordered laying back on the biobed. “Full scan.”

“But Captain…”

“No, again, I want to see it, that’s an order Doctor” she commanded.

The Doctor quietly obeyed, setting the biobed to run a full scan of her abdomen. He drew a blood sample and ran it through his medical tricorder.

He passed the padd with the results of the blood tests to her and brought her abdominal scans up on the screen at his console.

“Call, Seven… please” She said nauseous at the results she held on the padd in front of her. “Doctor, I fear I’ll try to hide this from her if I don’t tell her right now and I need her here with me” She uttered weakly.

“I understand Captain, just a moment and we will resume.” The Doctor replied softly.

She was conscious of The Doctor calling Seven to the medbay, she’d heard the doors swoosh open, and Seven’s unmistakable footsteps entering. She had her knees pressed to her chest, her head spun; she pressed it hard against her knees. She couldn’t decide if she was more distraught that she had been violated or that she carried the evidence inside her. She heard a brief whispering exchange between Seven and the Doctor, Seven’s voice getting louder, the sound of a padd being crushed, she kept her head buried. She didn’t want to see the hurt on Seven’s face when she was struggling with her own.

“And you one hundred percent certain?” Kathryn heard Seven ask. The world around her came back into focus.

“Yes, I’ve run the same tests 15 different times with two different sets of scans and two blood draws.” The Doctor answered solemnly.

Seven wordlessly moved to the biobed and put her body behind Kathryn’s. She wrapped her arms all the way around Kathryn, over the hands that held her knees to her chest. “I am with you whatever you choose to do. I am here love, and I will support you.” She whispered lightly into Kathryn’s ear, doing her best to calm her own rage.

“Seven, I don’t know what happened.” Kathryn whimpered.

“We will figure it out Kathryn and I will be right here, _always_ ” Seven replied. She tried her best to push any thoughts of murdering whoever did this to Kathryn to the back of her mind.

Kathryn unfurled her body and kept her eyes trained to the ceiling. “Doctor, were you able to determine anything else, the father?” She muttered eyes downcast.

“I do not believe it is any of the A’Crun, I sampled Kyp’s DNA, and while you have a very small amount of A’Crun DNA markers in your system, I assume from the serum, the embryo does not. I did not compare the DNA of the child against any of the Starfleet records we have on file.” The Doctor paused. “Or to Chakotay’s because I knew you would want to be here to see the results. I assumed if it were not A’Crun it would be ….” The Doctor paused again.

“I know” Kathryn answered her eyes shot to Chakotay in the biobed across the room. Briefly, she considered whether it would be gratifying to attack the unconscious man, if it would quell her anger.

“I changed the access code Captain, only I can drop the force field” The Doctor said softly watching Kathryn’s eyes.

“Run the damn test, Doctor” she sputtered in a rage, tears slipping down her face.

After what seemed to Kathryn to be an eternity, the Doctor spoke confused. “Um, It’s not a match.”

“What? but then who?” Kathryn asked surprised.

The Doctor typed at the padd comparing the DNA to all of the Starfleet DNA he had on file. The Doctor stared wide eyed at the padd then passed it over to Seven.

“I don’t understand, Magnus Hansen was my father, how could…” Seven trailed off.

The Doctor quickly grabbed a needle from the table behind him, a small prick in Seven’s arm, and he put the sample into his tricorder.

“I should’ve known” The Doctor shook his head and a smile spread over his face. “I can’t explain this to either of you, I’ll run more tests, but the nanoprobes in your system aren’t yours Kathryn, they are the child’s. The father, or well father for lack of a better term, is Seven.” The Doctor grinned widely.

“Wait, but how, or what are you sure?” Kathryn asked astonished.

“I don’t know Captain but the DNA of the embryo, half yours, half Sevens. You aren’t very far along. I would suspect conception happened when you first came back aboard Voyager. Maybe somehow the A’Crun serum allowed the transfer of Seven’s DNA to one of your eggs. I don’t know, I’ll bring in Kyp maybe he can shed some light on this.” The Doctor grinned. “Is this okay? Are you both okay?” He asked.

“Yes, relieved, astonished but relieved.” Kathryn answered.

“Yes, Doctor. I could not have imagined this to be a possibility. I am not upset” Seven said, her lips creeping into a reserved grin.

“We still need to consider installing the regeneration port, I’ve replicated an implement that with Seven’s assistance I can implant in your lower back. It should be a fairly quick procedure. With your enhanced healing abilities you should be back on your feet in no time. I can call an engineering team to install a regeneration device in your quarters.” The Doctor walked away and grabbed a small metal implement with small wire tendrils on one end and an open port on the other. He passed the implement to Seven to examine.

“Yes, this should work well.” She said passing it back to him. “Once it is implanted, the nanoprobes in your system will assimilate the technology to merge it with your own anatomy. “ Seven said glancing at Kathryn with uncertainty.

“Doctor, please give Seven and I a moment” Kathryn said.

The Doctor nodded and walked into his office, closing the door behind him.

Seven’s face widened into a smile “We created a child”.

“It’s too soon, we just starting figuring out what you and I mean to each other…”Kathryn trailed off

“No” Seven turned to her, resting her hands on Kathryn’s knees. “We know what we mean to each other, we have known, we just had not acted. A child, a life, any life must be cared for” Seven’s smile to Kathryn conveyed both wonder and a deep love for her, her cerulean eyes sparkling.

Kathryn broke, tears streaming freely. “Did I upset you Kathryn?” Seven asked kissing Kathryn’s hands.

“No darling. I thought the worst when the Doctor told me I was pregnant. I am puzzled _how_ but when I consider that I am carrying Seven’s child, Annika Hansen’s child, gods it’s a lot to think about, but I am filled with… joy… pure joy.” Kathryn sniffled.

“I love you Kathryn” Seven took Kathryn’s face in her hands and kissed her hard. “I’m certain this child will be the best of both of us and as a result be the most unstoppable force the universe has ever seen”

“Are you sure about the port?” Seven asked softly.

“Yes, for our child, for today, and all of our tomorrow’s” She sniffled.

“Now?”

“Now.”

“I’ll get the Doctor.” Seven said motioning the Doctor back into the room.

“Shall we go ahead with the procedure?” The Doctor asked.

“Yes” Kathryn replied.

-

Seven and Kathryn entered Kathryn’s quarters together, their walk from medbay was silent. Both women puzzled by what all this would mean for the future, how it could have happened, and what they would do from here.

Kathryn ran a hand down her own back briefly marveling that she could feel her own touch on the small metal plate.

“The Doctor said you should rest and regenerate” Seven said leading Kathryn to the bed. She gently lifted Kathryn’s shirt and slid a small plug into the open port. Kathryn’s skin felt like it was humming and vibrating, she felt a light surge of energy.

She grabbed Seven’s hands and lifted her up until they were face to face. She pressed her lips against Seven’s.

“Come to bed with me lover” Kathryn said breathlessly against Seven’s lips.

“I will comply” Seven replied settling into bed next to Kathryn.

-

Lev beamed into transporter room one. Tuvok met him and after a brief tour of the ship and a short reunion with Kyp brought him to the Captain’s ready room.

“Commander Tuvok to Captain Janeway” he called with a tap of his com-badge. “You are requested in your ready room”

A few minutes later Kathryn breezed into the ready room. Her cheeks red, straightening her uniform as she entered.

“Captain, this is Kyp’s contact from the resistance, Lev. He has been given a tour of the ship and briefly spoke with the Doctor and Kyp in the medbay regarding the cure”.

“Lev” she said collecting herself and holding out a hand half the size of his to greet him. “I’ve heard a lot of things about you, I can promise you we are here to help, but there are a few points of business we need to discuss”. She smiled at the tall green-teal alien. He looked very similar to Kyp, she thought she could almost mistake one for the other. Lev’s eyes were a slight lighter orange, and unlike Kyp he had long greying black-hair sprouting from the center of the top of his head, pulled back in a long braid, and his scales were marked with scars, and wrinkles around his mouth and eyes.

“Captain Janeway, Kyp told me of your plight. I will provide whatever support I can” he smiled warmly at the Captain.

“How do you and Kyp know each other?” She asked.

“He is my nephew” Lev replied.

“That explains the resemblance. Did Kyp explain our plans to you?”

“Yes, he told me you wish to terminate the Omega facilities, destroy the production facility, and release a cure for the phage amongst our women. He requested I meet him and the Doctor back in your Medical Bay when I am finished here. “

“Yes, those are our plans. Will you support us on our mission, Lev?” She asked.

“Absolutely, your goals align exactly with those of the resistance. I was however asked to ensure that you intend to keep Kyp aboard once this mission has ended.”

“Kyp will be a welcome member to our crew. I intend to instate him as our Security Officer; his intuition has saved us several times already. He saved me and a fellow crew member from A’Crun patrols, stopped an attack on me, saved my ship from mutiny, and he helped us rescue our missing crew members. I owe him my life as do many others. As long as he wants to remain onboard he is welcome and that is a solemn promise, Lev.” She said nodding to Lev.

“Very well, I have specs on the Omega facilities with me. They will provide schematics for where the Omega particles are held for usage. As well, I can provide you with reports on the roving security of the Omega Production Facility. The Production Facility is heavily armed; there are traps and barriers throughout it. It will not be an easy target, with a little creativity though it is not impossible” Lev said lips curling into a grin.

“I require one other promise from you, Captain” Lev caught Kathryn’s eyes. Lev smiled, sensing the honesty in Kathryn, and he trusted her completely. He realized in an instant all of the things he had worked for could be realized with the assistance of one strong woman. “Promise that you will help us to cure the virus plaguing our planet.” Lev looked at her thoughtfully.

“Lev, I am a woman of my word and I promise we will do everything we can to develop and distribute a cure to your population. Let me escort you down to the medbay, we can drop the schematics off with my team planning the attack in the conference room on our way.” She nodded and smiled to Lev.

-

The doors to the medbay slipped open. Kyp and The Doctor busied themselves examining samples at the back of the room.

“Doctor, I’ve brought help for you.” Kathryn called.

“Ah, yes Lev. Come” The Doctor waving the scaly man to his side.

“Doctor a moment, please” Kathryn called. He moved to meet her near the door.

“Chakotay’s condition?” she asked, her teeth pressed tightly together.

“Stable, I replaced the cranial bones. I can bring him out of the coma at any time.” He answered softly.

“Very well, please keep him as is for the time being. We will deal with him once we depart from this planet” She ordered. The Doctor nodded.

-

Kathryn sat in her ready room pouring over the engineering reports that had been provided to her by B’Elanna. Hull fractures on several decks. The port pylon needed an immediate overhaul. The warp drive was only running at 50%, some of the hull shielding below the ship had been blown completely off. The ship was now being held together by force fields and hope. Voyager was in desperate need of a dry dock and absolutely full overhaul. They couldn’t hope to make it a couple of Star Systems away let alone all the way home in this condition.

 _Chirp Chrip_ her door sounded.

“Come” She called, looking up from the computer in front of her.

“We have a plan for the Omega Production Facility” Tuvok stated handing Kathryn a padd.

“We will need simultaneous movement on several points in the facility to bring down its defenses. The power grid in the facility has several redundancies that will need to be deactivated within seconds of each other or security alerts will activate and the A’Crun Security Forces will be alerted to our presence. There is also a protocol for the nearby A’Crun military base to provide several battalions worth of troops in the event the security alert is activated. We may be able to hold off the Security force but there is no chance we could manage against their troops. If the security alarm were set off, we would have five minutes to evacuate. Once the power grid has been deactivated we will be able to freely make our way to the containment chamber. Our away team will converge at designated points near the chamber and will have to fight through a remaining three four-man security patrols. We can then deactivate the containment field on the chamber; this can only be done from a console just outside the chamber. The field is powered by the particles themselves. From there we can beam the particles out into space in stasis fields for transport from the planet and destruction.” Tuvok briefed.

“Okay, we are going in, in five teams…” Kathryn muttered to herself looking over the plan on the padd Tuvok provided.

“Lev and I will be going in first on the Flyer to take out the shield generator on the roof of the large dome and will make our way in through the roof. I can’t help but notice you are putting me and Lev at the most risk in this plan, Commander” She said laying the padd on the desk.

“Respectfully, Captain, with the nanoprobes in your system, you are quite nearly invulnerable to weapons fire. The Doctor assures me that your body will absorb any blasts from the A’Crun weaponry and Lev is the most experienced of our away team with combat.” He replied.

“Very well, Commander. Let’s hope this works” She called standing from her desk. “Commander, I also feel you should know…” She paused. “As First Officer you should know I am pregnant.” She glanced downwards.

“Who… is the father?” Commander Tuvok replied surprised, she saw anger building behind his eyes, believing she’d been assaulted.

“I can’t explain it and the Doctor isn’t sure why or how even, but it is Seven’s” she replied softly.

“That does explain the nanoprobes. Thank you for informing me, Captain.” Tuvok replied his face softened into what almost looked to Kathryn to be a smile.

“Get our away team ready, I’m going to check with medbay on their progress with the cure as soon as they have it we’ll move.” She ordered.

Tuvok nodded and walked from the ready room.

-

“Kyp, Lev, come look at this” The Doctor called excited.

“It looks like the cure you introduced is killing off the virus particles and quickly.” Kyp replied surprised.

“I am the Chief Medical Officer for a reason!” The Doctor replied.

“How do we disperse it? Do we need to give each person afflicted a shot with the cure?” Lev asked concerned.

“No, we could do an aerosol. I’m sure we can set a few well-placed phase torpedoes above each continent and if anyone doesn’t immediately receive the cure it will be transmitted through contact with other A’Crun. The issue, from what I can ascertain, is that A’Crun biology evolved too quickly, perhaps as a result of contact with the Omega Particles. But it appears that the males among your species were transmitting the disease to the females in their attempts to breed. The samples you provided indicate that the male A’Crun DNA is less evolved than the female. It seems males carry the virus but females are the only ones afflicted by it which explains why A’Crun females evolved the trait to be able to reproduce without males. I’ll speak with Lieutenant Kim about getting some torpedoes laced with the cure.” The Doctor beamed back.

-

“Torpedoes Away” Harry called from the bridge to the Captain standing on the flight deck.

“Good work Lieutenant Kim, we are getting ready to get underway here, meet the rest of the away team in transporter room 2. Pass control of Voyager to the Doctor.” The Captain ordered.

Tom, Tuvok, Seven, Kyp, and B’Elanna huddled around the Delta Flyer.

“The time to move is now folks, before the A’Crun start picking us up on their sensors. Icheb is standing by to beam each of you into position around the facility. Lev and I will take the Delta Flyer into the production facility, the scattering field there prohibits transport, and our first order of business will be to drop it. Once we have it down, Icheb will transport each of you in.” Kathryn called to her crew moving to the door of the Flyer.

Seven rushed in to give Kathryn a quick hard kiss on the lips. The other crew watched, briefly surprised, and then pretended not to notice. “I love you Kathryn _always_ ” Seven said softly to her lover, then suddenly regaining her composure moved away from the doors of the Flyer.

“I love you darling” Kathryn replied warmly. Her eyes darted back and forth _daring_ one of her crew members to say something.

“Let’s get moving Lev, we’ve got some shit to blow up” Kathryn said half grinning on her way into the Flyer.

-

Kathryn and Lev boarded the Delta Flyer. “Input the coordinates to the production facility, Lev” She said briefly demonstrating the computer system to him.

“Very well, Captain” Lev replied, typing in a series of coordinates.

The Delta Flyer blasted out of Voyager’s flight deck.

“Thank you Captain, you are saving the A’Crun from complete annihilation. I cannot express enough gratitude for what you and your crew are doing for us. I almost feel as though you were sent from our gods” Lev nodded to Kathryn.

“You trusted us so quickly, in your shoes I don’t know that I would have done the same with everything you and your people have been through” She replied navigating the Flyer towards the production facility.

“Kyp trusts you, he is more intuitive than I, I suppose because he’s still young and hopeful. I am his only kin. I’d follow him into a fire if he requested” Lev replied.

“You are more than welcome to join us aboard Voyager as well, Lev.” She answered shooting a half smile to the large alien to her side.

“I appreciate the offer and I will be happy to see Kyp leave and pursue happiness away from our planet. After the death of my niece and Kyp’s wife he has been searching for another purpose. He doubts our teachings, he doubts the way of life on Acrunmoge, and I don’t fault him for that. But I have others that I have a responsibility for. I am responsible for dozens of women I’ve hid from our soldiers, I have a spouse, in name only, we have not performed the ceremony. But I have fathered a child with her and I only wish to get home to be with her.” Lev said sentimentally.

“I understand, Lev” She patted his hand. “I’ m actually pregnant with my lover’s child and I can’t imagine being anywhere besides by her side.” She said smiling.

“Seven of Nine.” Lev replied quickly.

“Yes, how did…” She paused.

“That kiss was searing. Even without it the love between the two of you is quite evident. I’d imagine the serum they inject our women with allowed the two of you to conceive.” Lev responded.

“How is that? How does it work?” she asked.

“Well, as you already know the A’Crun can’t conceive without consent. The deeper reason for that is that no DNA transfer takes place between the carrier of the child, or in your terms the mother, and the provider, or father without finality, or rather, orgasm. An unwilling partner is unlikely to experience orgasm so our people created a serum that would make it a near certainty by ramping up the unwilling woman’s hormones. It’s dirty and deceitful. The serum was prepared using A’Crun females DNA I would guess that it altered yours enough to allow the transfer to occur the way it would among our females. I’ll work when Kyp and your Doctor once we are back on Voyager to confirm, and ensure there are no other risks to your health.” Lev answered

“Sounds good Lev, let’s deal these fuckers a blow they can’t come back from” Kathryn said with a smile at the corner of her mouth, she lowered the Flyer into orbit just above the Omega Production facility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soulmatedreams, your comment on the of the last chapter cracked me up because I was literally writing the part of this chapter that revealed it was Seven's when I read it... not that it wasn't obvious already with everything leading up to this.
> 
> *I initially neglected to make any further mention of the regeneration port after chapter 13 so I had to go back and add it in. The conversation the Doctor has with Seven and Kathryn in the medbay has been updated, to include Kathryn receiving the implant.


	15. Shut Down

“One part of this plan I missed” Kathryn started glancing to her side to meet Lev’s eyes.

“How are we not setting off security sensors in the facility with the Flyers weapons when we attack the shield generator?” She asked slightly embarrassed.

“With your most recent news, Mr. Tuvok warned me that you may be a touch distracted” Lev smiled. “The weapons we are using emit an electro-magnetic pulse. It’ll deactivate the scattering shield without disrupting power so the sensors won’t be aware it is down.” He finished.

She shook her head up and down to acknowledge Lev. A brief flash of fear passed through her at having her personal life so very public amongst her crew. She quieted her thoughts with what her older-self Admiral Janeway had told her. _For so many years.. . I forgot how much they loved being together. And I forgot how loyal they were to…you_. The crew on Voyager for better or worst were her family; they were bound to be intimately familiar with everything happening in each other’s lives. _Maybe they should be_ she told herself. They were more prepared to support each other, the mission, and Voyager when they knew what the crew mate next to them in a firefight was worrying about.

“It’s not a weakness, Captain” Lev replied, seeing Kathryn struggle with her own thoughts.

“What is that, Lev?”

“Love.” He replied smiling warmly.

“That’s not what..”

“But it is” he interrupted. “Intuition, Captain” he pointed a teal-green scaly finger to his head. “You are distracted with the thought that you are pregnant with your lover’s child. You were not even aware the two of you could produce a child and the deep love I sense between the two of you tells me you are both ecstatic with this development whether or not it has been voiced yet. You are distracted by love. Love for your partner and love for the life developing inside you. You’re intuitive crew prepared me for this possibility. My point is just that the brief moment of distraction that allowed you to overlook the sensor issues is not a weakness. Love fortifies us.” Lev smiled again at the Captain who was slightly taken aback by his intimate understanding of what was happening in her head.

“Thank you” She replied squeezing his hand.

“It looks like we are in position” Lev said.

“Voyager, we are in position to fire the EMP, prepare the away team for transport.” She said snapping her Captain’s façade back on.

“Fire” she called to Lev. He activated the EMP and the field dropped, allowing the Flyer to land on the roof of the domed building.

“Now, Icheb” she called into the communicator.

“Transport complete, Captain. Everyone is in position” Icheb answered back.

“Let’s get moving Lev, we have a lot of ground to cover.” She said opening the doors to the Flyer.

Lev moved from the Flyer and using his long muscular scaled arms he tore open a small vent cover that dropped into the facility. “In here” He called to Kathryn. She grabbed two rifles and four phasers from the Flyer, passing three of the weapons off to Lev.

Kathryn crawled on her knees and elbows just behind the nearly eight foot tall Lev. They slithered through the smooth steel vents until they found the fifteenth floor security office. “There are two” Lev whispered back to Kathryn. “I’ll drop in first and take out the one near the door. Once I slip in pull yourself forward, quickly please and fire at 6 o’clock angle your arm upwards, it should stun the second officer long enough for me to hit a weak spot.” Lev whispered.

“On three” Kathryn called, counting down.

Lev sprung through the vent dropping the A’Crun by the door. Kathryn shoved her body forward and fired her phaser blindly towards the A’Crun sitting at a console on the other side of the room. He was stunned briefly and Lev leapt towards him firing his own phaser into the temple of the stunned alien.

“Clear” he said. Kathryn dropped herself into the room.

“We have access to the entire facilities monitoring system from this room” he said. Typing to bring up the camera system so they could each of their teams moving into position.

“We will have to fight our way down to the basement to meet up with the rest of the away team once the power grid is down. Voyager won’t be able to establish a lock on us until that field on the Omega particles has dropped” Kathryn said checking her weapons. She had a rifle slung across her back, a phaser holstered on each thigh, and five photon grenades strapped to her belt.

“It looks like everyone is getting into position. Be prepared as soon as the grid is down. We are going to have a hell of a fight on our way, Captain.” Lev responded, counting guards between them and the entrances to the Omega chamber.

“Team one in position” Kathryn called softly into her com-badge.

-

“Door here” B’Elanna called to Tom. Both moving as stealthily at they could towards the dome.

Tom placed a charge on the door. “Cut right and I’ll go left when it blows, remember neck, temple, or groin” he whispered.

 _Five, four, three, two, one_ he mouthed silently to B’Elanna.

The charge blew, the cement door shattering as it shot off the building. Tom charged through the door just ahead of B’Elanna. Three shots later and the A’Crun guarding the building lay on the floor in the hallway.

“The junction is just up here” B’Elanna whispered to Tom, pulling him behind her into a small electronics room. Tom yanked the heavy cement door shut behind them with a groan. B’Elanna scanned the circuitry.

“Right here” she said softly to Tom. “We just have to cut this wire.” She said pointing to a red wire connected to a small box in a tangled mass of wires.

“Wait for the call” He responded, bracing his back against the door. B’Elanna sat in front of him on the floor in the tight space and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“Team three in position” Tom called softly into his com-badge.

-

“Our breach point is here” Seven said to Tuvok who crept slowly up behind her. She pointed to a small vent covering at the bottom of the building.

Tuvok unseated the covering and tossed it free then slipped his body into the tight space. Seven quickly dived into the small vent, behind him.

“In fifteen meters there should be an access overhead” She whispered to Tuvok.

“The junction is in security room one” Tuvok whispered back. “Expect no less than six guards in the room”

“Neck, groin, and temple” Seven responded, naming off the weak spots in the A’Crun’s bone plating.

“There’s the access” Tuvok called back to Seven quietly. “I am going to throw this vent upwards into the room, toss a phase grenade, and a smoke grenade. With your enhanced optics you should be able to see through the smoke and neutralize the guards.” Tuvok said spinning his body awkwardly to position his head towards Seven’s.

“I am ready.” Seven responded crouching her body in the tight vent to be able to spring once the grenades went off.

The vent popped free, the photon grenade went off, and the room filled with smoke. Seven sprung free of the vent. She scanned the room counting four down from the photon grenade, she fired her phaser four times through the fog, and the other two dropped to the floor.

“Clear” Seven called down towards Tuvok. He pulled himself free of the vent. He coughed, the smoke in the room assaulting his senses.

“The power junction is here” Seven said leading Tuvok by the hand to the small panel on the wall.

“I see the connection” Tuvok said pulling wire cutters from his belt.

“Team two in position” Tuvok called quietly into his com-badge.

-

Harry and Kyp ran across the sand towards the dome. Kyp heard the unmistakable sound of weapons fire behind them. He glanced back over his shoulder, two guards pursued them. He saw the first fire a weapon, he swung his foot in front of Harry knocking him to the ground and free of the blast. He dropped to the ground just past Harry and fired his own weapon twice, _two successes_ he thought as the guards fell.

“Thanks, I think.” Harry said, lifting his body from the sandy ground and brushing off his uniform.

“The first blast would have hit you.” Kyp stated flatly.

“I mean, thank you, Kyp. I was just startled.” Harry replied with a smile.

“You are welcome, Mr. Kim” Kyp returned the smile. “The entrance is here through this window.” Kyp said lightly tapping his fingers on the glass in front of him.

“I’ll go through first Mr. Kim, we expect most of the guards to be towards the front of the facility, there could be four in this area in total. We are jumping into a hallway. I’ll take out the ones towards the front, focus your fire behind me.” Kyp announced.

“Ready, on your command” Harry replied to Kyp.

“I’m going to break the glass, be ready, Mr. Kim” Kyp answered back.

Kyp pumped his hand into a fist and with a quick crack the glass shattered. Kyp sprung through the window and dropped to the floor. Harry popped his head through the window and fired at the guards behind Kyp’s back. Kyp dropped the two at his end of the hallway quickly. He went to jump back to his feet when one A’Crun came at him from behind. “Kyp… I hate to kill you, but...” The A’Crun guard started, pointing a phaser at Kyp’s head. The guards head jerked violently to the side and his body dropped to the floor. Harry stood - his arm and phaser just inside the window.

“You’re welcome, Kyp. I think we are even now.” Harry smiled.

Harry and Kyp knelt on the floor back to back in front of the last power junction, their eyes trained to either end of the hallway.

“Team four in position” Harry whispered into his com-badge.

-

“Everyone is in position” Kathryn called quietly to the other teams. “On my count, cut the power. Five, four, three, two, one”

 _Security Alert_ the alarms in the facility blared. Red and yellow lights flashed.

 _”Fuck!”_ B’Elanna yelled lifting herself off Tom. She quickly reached up and cut the last wire. They both struggled with their clothes collecting themselves. The alarms stopped blaring and the facility went dark.

“Five minutes” Kathryn called into her com-badge. “Get there in five minutes and shut that damn field down, we can’t beam out with it active.”

-

“Five minutes, Captain. We will never make it through this building in time to help them. We are safer, waiting here.” Lev said.

“No, we will fight our way down. I’m pretty much immortal at this point and from what I hear about you, you are nearly a ninja. Let’s try to help” She shot back.

“As you wish, this is going to be a hell of a fight though, Captain.” Lev said, cautiously pushing the door open with his foot. Lev peaked into the hallway. “Guards left and right.” He called to her pulling his head quickly back inside dodging the shots fired at him.

“Wait, Lev.” Kathryn said grabbing his hard scaly forearm and pulling him back from the door.

“I’ll go first, it’s time to see if these nanoprobes are everything I’ve been told they are.” She announced. Before Lev had the chance to react she had stepped from the room and into the line of fire between a total of eight A’Crun guards standing at either end of the hallway.

The first blast struck Kathryn’s stomach and nearly staggered her. The second blast seared the hair above her right eyebrow. The third struck her left thigh and scorched her pants. Several more shots from the A’Crun guards and she was briefly knocked to the floor. The firing halted when she fell. The guards moved cautiously towards her.

Kathryn did a quick systems check. _Fingers still work, legs_ she thought. She twisted her head from side to side. _All functional_ she thought. She lay still for another couple of seconds, taking a full inventory of how she felt. The blasts had seemed to not only not harm her, but also energize her.

Lev peaked through the door and when he saw her flat on the floor she looked at his eyes and he dropped back into the room, waiting for the guards to pass the doors so he could jump out behind them.

The moment the guards passed the room Lev hid in, Kathryn, using all her strength, jumped up to her feet spun away from Lev who stepped into the hallway and quickly dropped the five guards approaching from that direction. Kyp fired and knocked down the other three.

“Intuition” Kyp grinned.

“Even if they had fired it wouldn’t have hurt.” She shot back almost playfully.

“Stair case just ahead should take us all the way down to the Omega Chamber” he said pointing.

“Let’s hope for less resistance on our way down” Kathryn replied, moving towards the doors.

-

“B’Elanna, I’m sorry” Tom called trying to grab her hand. “I shouldn’t have given in, it’s… you were on top of me, grinding. I’m not made of damn stone” he yelled.

“I’m sorry Tom, it’s this damn serum. It’s not your fault but we have to go. I fucked this whole thing up, we have to get to the chamber” She shouted back at him breaking into a sprint.

“The soldiers are going to close on this facility any minute and we have to be down there before they get here” She threw open the doors to the stairs.

As if she was reading B’Elanna’s mind, Seven’s voice called through the com-badge, “4 minutes.”

-

“Just ahead” Kyp shouted to Harry. Harry dove through the doors into the stairs to the basement dodging the weapons fire behind him and Kyp. _Silence_ Harry thought. He mulled briefly over whether or not the A’Crun guards had killed Kyp.

The doors flung open and Kyp charged in. His left arm bled heavily.

“Bastards caught me in the arm, but the more positive side is that we don’t have anyone chasing us.” Kyp slumped against the wall.

“This looks bad” Harry said trying to tend to Kyp.

“That plate is broken.” Kyp responded wincing. “I’ll be okay, just need to stop the bleeding.”

“Here” Harry said tearing a sleeve from his uniform. He wrapped the sleeve tightly around the wound. “The pressure will help, are you okay to keep moving, Kyp?” He asked softly.

“Yes Mr. Kim we need to get to the chamber. This is not my first broken plate, I’m certain it won’t be the last. Down two floors and we’ll be at the entrance” Kyp said starting down the stairs, Harry trailing behind him.

-

“I’m not sure the best course of action, Commander” Seven yelled her back against the doors to Security Room One. Hands and phaser blasts beat against the door.

“We have to get down to the production chamber.” Tuvok said calmly.

“Three minutes forty five seconds” Seven called back.

“I have an idea. I’m going to count to five. Roll backwards to me. I’ll toss another photon grenade and smoke grenade. But you will have to lead me from the room. The stairs are two doors to the left, on the right side of the hallway. Are you ready?” He called back to her.

Seven nodded to him. Tuvok counted down and Seven jumped back away from the doors, allowing access to the room to their attackers. Tuvok tossed both grenades, the photon grenade activating first knocking several of their attackers to the floor. Smoke filled the room and the hallway. Seven grabbed Tuvoks hand, phaser held tightly in the other, she shot four more of their pursuers on her way to the stairs.

“Three Minutes Commander, run” she called throwing open the doors to the stairs.

-

“One minute” Seven said firing her phaser at a charging A’Crun dropping him to the ground.

B’Elanna typed furiously at the console in front of the Omega Chamber. Kathryn, Kyp, Lev, Tuvok, Harry and Seven all took position around the entrances to the giant chamber. Each firing at any A’Crun that approached.

“It’s down” B’Elanna yelled to the rest of the away team, as she worked to set the explosives that would destroy the rest of the facility.

“Icheb, protocol 1, bring us back” Kathryn yelled into her com-badge.

Icheb moved rapidly at the astrometrics console bringing back his crew and placing stasis fields around the Omega Particles from the facility’s chamber.

“Everyone is back!” Icheb called into his com-badge.

“Very well” The Doctor replied from the bridge.

-

Kathryn ran to the bridge.

An A’Crun ship approached Voyager. “You, you shut down production on the particles that power our system!” Pok yelled. “You will be destroyed!”

“Yes, we shut down your Omega facility. Those particles are more dangerous than your civilization can comprehend. We also delivered your people a cure for the virus killing your women.” Kathryn paused.

“I am scrambling our fighters now Captain, Voyager WILL be destroyed.” Pok shouted.

“Stand down, Pok. You are in no position to negotiate. Now what you are going to do is call back to your government, evacuate all four of the Omega power plants on your planet’s surface, the engram facility, and the satellite facility. You are going to drop the shields on each facility and allow us to transport the Omega particles out. Then you are going to allow us to destroy each, including several shots on the production facility to ensure destruction. Our weapons are trained on your Omega facilities and I promise you a single shot to any one of them will entirely destroy your planet. Your call Pok, I’ll be standing by.” Kathryn said terminating the transmission.

Kathryn leaned her body back against her Captain’s chair. Briefly the thought of Seven in her spot flashed through her mind, her hands probing her beautiful young lover. Even with the serum out of her system she found herself fantasizing about her lover, about being tangled up in Seven’s long muscular limbs. She found herself aroused remembering Seven calling out for her when she moved inside of her in this very chair. _One thing is for certain, sitting in this chair will always arouse me_ Kathryn thought.

“Commander Tuvok, you have the bridge” Kathryn called, heading towards her ready room.

She plopped down on the couch and let her thoughts wander. She was pregnant with _Seven’s_ child she thought. This beautiful young ex-borg had somehow or another impregnated her. _A lot of first’s here, Kathryn_ , She thought to herself. Feeling this life growing inside her made her feel closer to Seven, made her want Seven even more. The thought that a piece of Seven remained, deep inside her, aroused her in ways she couldn’t even try to describe.

“Kathryn-Seven, if you are free please come to my ready room” She called softly into her com-badge.

“I have some work to finish and I will meet you there shortly, Kathryn” Seven responded.

A couple hours later the door to her ready room chirped.

“Come.” Kathryn called, stirring from the light sleep she had slipped into.

Seven stepped through the doors and Kathryn’s breath caught in her throat. _Words can’t describe_ Kathryn thought, closing her eyes, _she is perfection_.

“Do you require something, Captain?” Seven asked trying to read Kathryn’s face.

“Just you love… I just needed to see you.” Kathryn’s face softened, her steel-blue eyes sparkled.

Seven moved to meet Kathryn in a kiss. She dropped down on the couch next to Kathryn and pushed her back until she was lying flat. Seven moved her body overtop of her lovers, pressing her heat down hard against Kathryn’s. Kathryn gasped at the pressure.

“Gods, I love you, Seven” she moaned.

“And I love you, Kathryn.” Seven moaned back against her lips.

“Captain-Tuvok” Kathryn’s badge chirped.

“Go…Ahead… Tuvok” she sighed, breathlessly.

“Pok is back” Tuvok responded.


	16. Promises

_These repeated interruptions are going to kill me_ Kathryn thought. “On my way Tuvok” she called back into her com-badge.

Seven lifted herself off of Kathryn with a whimper, her cheeks were flushed.

Kathryn pushed herself up into a sitting position and swung her feet to the floor. She groaned when her eyes caught Seven’s, deep cerulean blue and full of lust.

“Tonight, Seven” she said her voice husky. “Meet me back here at 2200 hours. I don’t care if I have to kill every single person in this quadrant to get you alone with me, _without interruption_ , I will!” she growled impishly.

“Promise, Captain?” Seven asked pulling Kathryn in for a deep kiss, her full lips rubbing lightly across Kathryn’s, tongue probing.

“Absolutely, Seven” she whispered her voice broke and eyes blinked rapidly as though she could blink away her arousal.

“Then I’ll see you at 2200 hours, lover” Seven stood and took Kathryn’s hand brought it to her lips and kissed it gently.

Kathryn struggled to straighten her hair with her other hand, not noticing Seven’s mischievous grin.

Seven slipped Kathryn’s index and middle fingers between her lips sucking them into her mouth and letting her tongue circle over the tips of both fingers.

Kathryn shuddered and moaned feeling Seven’s lips envelop her fingers. Her mouth was velvety and hot lightly sucking at Kathryn’s fingers. 

“Not fair” Kathryn groaned as Seven withdrew Kathryn’s fingers from her mouth.

“So you don’t forget…” Seven smiled playfully back at Kathryn before turning and exiting Kathryn’s quarters.

-

“Commander Tuvok, report” Kathryn ordered strolling into the bridge stopping in front of the Captain’s chair. _That damned chair_ she thought feeling the heat spread back across her body.

“Pok returned and has brought back word from the A’Crun Government’s Council. He refused to speak with anyone but you” Tuvok replied.

“On screen” she called out, Pok’s brown and green face popped up on the viewscreen.

“Captain, I have conferred with the A’Crun council. There are already reports of A’Crun women recovering on all four continents. Even some of those women that were in the end-stages of the phage are showing improvement. Whatever Voyager did seems to have _saved_ our planet. However, you have completely decimated our power grid.” Pok said his voice hardening as he spoke.

“Pok, your people were using technology that was not yours, technology that you don’t understand.” She cut him off.

“Listen, Captain” he spat. “We have a deal to offer you that we believe will be mutually beneficial. Will you allow me to transport over to present you the terms of the agreement, accompanied by two of my personal guards?” Pok asked trying to calm his voice.

“Fine, no weapons will be allowed and we will transport you over, drop your shields” Kathryn ordered.

Pok nodded and blinked from the viewscreen.

“Lieutenant Kim, establish a lock and send them to transporter room one, you have the bridge. Commander Tuvok to the conference room” Kathryn called out motioning Tuvok to follow her, as she walked from the bridge.

-

Pok, flanked by his two A’Crun guards followed Kathryn and Tuvok from the transporter room to the conference room. Seven, Kyp, and Lev were already seated around the table. Kyp and Lev looked thankful the Voyager crew had replicated several large chairs to accommodate the imposing size of the A’Crun. Kathryn lightly ran a hand across Seven’s back on her way to take her place at the head of the table.

Kathryn gestured to Pok to sit at the end of the table opposite her. Tom and B’Elanna rushed through the doors and quietly slipped into their seats. Kyp and Lev nodded politely to Pok. Lev’s face curled into a smile at the sight of Pok.

“So, Pok what _deal_ does your Council think would benefit us?” Kathryn asked staring down the large scaly man.

“Captain, as I said before, the cure Voyager released is saving the remaining women on Acrunmoge. Our Counsel is graciously extending the use of the Kyre Spaceport to allow your ship to repair the damages our people have afflicted on your vessel. We will provide parts and staff to support you if you should so request. There is one caveat to this offer.” He started. Kathryn stared back at him stone-faced.

“We request assistance from your engineers to get our power-grid back online. If you can provide support in helping our people develop alternate forms of power, we will provide full access to the spaceport. I can see the stress fractures in your hull, nacelles, and the missing plating on the bottom of Voyager from my scanners, if you depart now you will not make it far.” 

“And the omega facilities?” Kathryn asked.

“Shut-down and evacuated. We ask that rather than destroying them, you transport the omega particles out and leave the facilities intact.” Pok responded.

“We could compromise if you allow us to destroy the tech in the engram facility. We won’t help you power a facility that allows you to take advantage of passing ships. ”

“The Council will meet your terms, they prepared me to offer that facilities’ closure if necessary to reach a compromise.”

“Good, I have one additional demand before I am willing to finalize this deal. Every one of your breeding and DNA sequencing facilities must be shut down before a member of this ship will step foot on your planet.” Kathryn shot a glare at him.

“Done, I’ve been trying to get our government to shut them down for years. I unfortunately could not expose myself as an ally to the resistance before this or I would have lost my position as the leader of our Military. I’ve been the liaison between the Council and the military for some time unfortunately before your arrival only small strokes could be made to get those facilities closed down. With the council now recognizing the danger of the omega particles, Captain, you have everyone’s attention. I will personally ensure every facility is closed and that the women held there receive support to reintegrate into our society. Those that were taken from passing ships will be provided opportunities either on our planet, at the spaceport, or if they so request, transport to Ky, our sister planet. We have shared a loose peace with the Ky but now with the changes taking place in our government I think it can be solidified. Also, I should mention the spaceport was a joint operation between Acrunmoge and the Ky, to ensure peace held. You will find their people accommodating and kind.”

“And if your council won’t listen?” Kathryn asked suspiciously.

“Military coop, Captain. I have the support of the people and the military; we are ready for a change. I could easily take control from the Council, they’ll listen or they’ll lose power and I’m sure they know it.” Pok replied quickly.

“Very well, sir. Do you mind stepping from the room so I can confer with my staff?”

Pok nodded and exited into the passageway, his guards in tow.

“Alright, Kyp, Lev, what do you think? Can he do what he says? Will the A’Crun council support this deal?” Kathryn asked.

“As he told you he has been an ally to the resistance, I have been in contact with him on several occasions. I retrieved the reports on the production facility’s security from Pok. I trust him, Captain.” Lev said, glancing to Kyp at his side.

“I sense no deception; this could be mutually beneficial to Voyager and the A’Crun. Perhaps we made the difference we set out to make, Captain.” Kyp added.

“One question though Lev, why would Pok threaten to destroy Voyager? If he were communicating with you he was no doubt aware of our plans?” Kathryn asked.

“Our Starships are heavily monitored by the Council; every transmission can be remotely accessed. There has been so much backstabbing and deception at every level of our government there’s no trust between even the council members themselves. A radical restructuring of the government is necessary but that’s neither here nor there. Pok has had to maintain the guise of being the Councils ‘go-to-man’ in order to maintain his position. He withdrew at your first threat, his promises are genuine.” Lev responded.

“Very well, let’s get engineering to work on coming up with a new power source for this planet. We’ll confer with Pok and his people on how to shut down the engram facility, and I want our sensors trained on the breeding and resequencing facilities to ensure they are shut down. Commander Tuvok, brief Ensign Icheb on transporting the remaining Omega Particles from the planet. Once we are set to go plot a course for the spaceport. When this meeting wraps up Lieutenant Seven and I are off duty for the next 16 hours, I expect everyone can handle their tasks without _any_ interruptions” she said glancing between her officers.

“Bring Pok back in.” Kathryn called to Tom, who sat closest to the door. Tom poked his head out the door and Pok and his guards trailed back in.

“We have a deal Pok, let your council know, and we’ll set another meeting twenty-four hours from now, to confirm both parties’ terms will be met.” She walked to him and shook his scaly hand.

-

Kathryn sat in her quarters sipping a hot cup of coffee. She’d ordered Tuvok to keep command of Voyager for the next 16 hours. Her eyes glazed over the reports on the ships damages and the proposed fixes for each. _Gods I wish I could have whiskey_ she thought, her brain trying to wrap itself around everything that had happened since they entered the Omega Quadrant.

Relaxing into the couch, she drifted off to sleep.

 _Chirp chirp_ the door called.

“Kathryn, it’s me” Seven’s voice answered.

“Come in, darling” she called back groggy. She glanced to the clock at the wall and groaned only 12 hours left off duty now. _But exactly 2200 hours, she’s always prompt._ Kathryn thought grinning.

Seven entered wearing a blue dress nearly the same color as her eyes that was tight against her chest and stomach but fell loosely on her hips and thighs and ended just above her knees. _Gods she’s beautiful_ Kathryn thought glancing down at herself still wearing her uniform.

“I’m sorry darling I meant to have dinner prepared and be more… presentable when you arrived” Kathryn said, standing to meet her lover.

“I have already consumed nutritional supplement 10 Alpha 4, in preparation. I only wish to spend time with you.” Seven responded her face creeping into a small smile.

“I feel underdressed.” Kathryn gestured to her uniform.

“Do not worry Kathryn, I only wore this… dress because I desired to see you become _flustered_ when I entered your quarters”. Seven said lowering her body next to Kathryn on the couch. She held a small box in her hand.

“What did you bring darling?” Kathryn asked leaning in to kiss Seven’s bare shoulder.

“It is a gift.” Seven slid the box towards Kathryn.

Kathryn gently opened the shiny red and silver cardboard box. The box held what looked to be a pair of very short shorts, command red, made of a biomesh material. Kathryn reached in and lifted them and was briefly surprised by the weight. She looked down and saw the phallic object dangling beneath them.

“I, um, Seven, I’ve considered introducing toys, but I’m not sure I’m ready for this, inside me” Kathryn said her voice stuttering with each word she spoke.

“It is for you to _wear_. I should explain, Kathryn.” She said blushing heavily.

“When I asked you to, assist me, to help me understand dating protocols on the holodeck I was increasingly interested in understanding the interaction between couples comprised of two females. I assimilated a great deal of information on copulation… or lovemaking.” She said correcting herself.

“I understand that introducing implements can increase the pleasure between women. However I noted that using different implements, or toys as you say, does not necessarily increase the pleasure for both partners. I am intrigued by the way men make love, the man’s pleasure dependent upon being inside of his partner.” She paused.

“Do you desire that contact from a man, I know I have been your only partner, I would under….” Kathryn started.

“No, that is not what I mean, Kathryn” Seven interrupted smiling softly at her lover.

“I desired the feeling of _your_ arousal building to orgasm because you are inside me. So I designed this” She said lifting the gift from the box.

“Once you are wearing this, the material will tighten around you; I enhanced the material to provide the same impulses your own nerve endings do, it will feel as though it is your own skin. There is a bio-interface that will react to your own arousal; it will stiffen if you are aroused. You will be able to feel with the phallus as though it were part of your own body; there will also be a bit more fluid transfer. I wish for you to use it on me, Kathryn” Seven said her plush lips at Kathryn’s neck.

“Oh, mm” Kathryn responded, surprised, a deep red flush spread across her face.

“Seven, you are a goddess, let’s move to the bedroom” Kathryn said her eyes fluttering, and grabbing her gift.

“Computer, lock Captains Quarters, override only with mine or Commander Tuvok’s command codes. Authorization Janeway one, one, five, three, Omega” Kathryn called out unzipping her jacket and dropping her pants to the floor.

Kathryn lowered her body until it was on top of Seven’s. She kissed hungrily at Seven’s neck. Reaching behind Seven’s back she started unzipping the biosuit exposing Seven’s breasts and stomach. She kissed her way down Seven moaning and growling. She worked the biosuit over Seven’s hips and down her legs. Then reached back to drop her own bra to the floor and slid her panties to her ankles. She quickly stepped out of them and slid her body up to meet Seven’s.

“Kathryn…” Seven groaned lightly feeling the Captain’s naked skin press down against hers. Their breasts pressed together, Kathryn’s thigh between her legs, Kathryn’s hot center pressed down on Seven’s thigh.

Kathryn kissed Seven heavily her tongue parting the younger woman’s lips. Seven gasped and moaned.

“Do you want me to try your gift?” Kathryn asked breathlessly against Seven’s lips.

“Please” Seven moaned.

Kathryn lifted her body from her lover and slipped her legs into the biomesh. Once it was in place the mesh seemed to merge with her own anatomy, it tightened across her butt, thighs, and throbbing center, the phallus hung between her legs. She reached down to wrap her hand around the red object and was startled to find that she could feel the heat of her own hand wrapped around it.

“Darling, this is amazing” Kathryn said holding the phallus in her hand and caressing it with her fingertips.

“Let me, lover” Seven called moving her body to meet Kathryn’s in a deep kiss. Seven grabbed the phallus and ran her fingers up and down the length of it. Kathryn gasped feeling Seven’s touch. It stiffened in Seven’s hand.

“Please, Kathryn” Seven moaned against her lips. “Inside me... but gently… I have not had anything this large…” Seven gasped feeling the tip of the toy against her entrance.

“Gods, Seven, I can feel your lips pressed against it, or …against me.” Kathryn groaned. “I’ll be gentle darling, don’t worry, lover.” She said kissing Seven’s face and wrapped her hand into the blonde’s soft hair.

Kathryn leaned into Seven, pushing her legs apart. Kathryn positioned herself and when the tip of the toy pushed into Seven both women gasped. Seven felt herself being opened up and probed by the woman she loved. Kathryn felt the soft wetness of Seven closing around her.

Kathryn rocked her hips forward trying to feel more. Seven gasped at feeling more of Kathryn inside her. Seven wanted her senses to be totally taken over by the older woman. To feel Kathryn moving hard against her, to feel Kathryn’s body pressed down against hers, every inch of her screamed for Kathryn to just take her.

Kathryn struggled to not force the full length into Seven. The feeling of Seven wrapped around her so wet, warm, and inviting thrusting back against her, made Kathryn want to probe deeper, harder, she drug her fingers down Seven’s back.

“Is this okay, baby?” Kathryn moaned, still thrusting slowly in and out of Seven.

“Yes, Kathryn, please, more, harder” Seven growled against the woman whose hips flexed against her own.

Kathryn started moving harder, faster. Kathryn moaned watching the phallus move into her lover feeling every inch of Seven gripping and tightening around it.

“Don’t stop” Seven moaned.

Kathryn moved her pace to meet Seven’s. Seven’s pelvis drove back into Kathryn and rocked in rhythm with Kathryn’s forward thrusts.

Kathryn moved harder, faster, and pressed deeper into Seven. She marveled at the feeling of Seven’s velvety, hot, moisture throbbing as she pushed the full length of the toy into Seven.

Kathryn moaned feeling Seven’s muscles tighten around her. She thrust forward, burying herself in her lover. She could feel Seven’s muscles tightening and loosening, throbbing against the object before clenching, the grip took Kathryn’s breath away.

Seven came hard against the phallus, Kathryn felt Seven’s fluids gushing down it, her, onto her thighs. One more thrust forward into Seven and her own orgasm came. She felt as though the toy pulled it out of her, and into Seven. Another rush of warm liquid down her legs from inside of Seven and she collapsed onto her lover.

Still pulsing she slipped the toy free of her and slid down onto the bed next to her. She pushed her body up to see Seven’s face. She reached a hand to Seven’s face it was hot and slick with tears.

“Are you okay, love?” Kathryn asked softly, pulling her body against Seven’s.

“Yes darling.” She answered, catching her breath, trying to stifle the tears. “It was as you described before, overwhelming. I love you deeply.” Seven croaked out.

“I desired it but I could not have imagined the intensity of being able to feel your own orgasm inside me. Please hold me, lover” Seven whispered softly.

Kathryn dropped the bio-mesh gift Seven had provided her to the floor. She pressed her body against Seven’s naked back their legs tangling together. She wrapped her arms together around Seven’s stomach pulling back lightly. “I love you always, darling” Kathryn kissed along the length of Seven’s neck.

Both quickly slipped into sleep, exhausted by the events of the day and their lovemaking.

Kathryn awoke in the middle of the night, Seven still heavy in her arms. She could not imagine a time in her life when she had been happier than waking up to find Seven wrapped in her embrace. She smiled against the sleeping woman’s back. She kissed Seven lightly, not wanting to rouse her.

Seven shook lightly from her sleep and rolled to meet Kathryn’s gaze.

“Could I, from now on, reside here in your quarters with you?” Seven asked gently into the darkness of Kathryn’s quarters.

“Move in you mean?” Kathryn asked with a grin Seven couldn’t quite see.

“Yes, I’d like to rouse from regeneration or sleep with you nearby.” Seven answered softly.

“Please, love, I’d enjoy nothing more than to wake up beside you each day.” Kathryn answered burying her face in Seven’s hair.

“Thank you Kathryn, I’ll move my personal effects to your quarters in the morning.” Seven smiled pressing her naked body against Kathryn’s.

“Would you consider taking things a step further?” Kathryn asked.

“What do you mean, Kathryn?” Seven said glancing back towards her lover.

“I cannot imagine my life without you darling. Would you consider marrying me?” Kathryn asked softly.

“Yes, or no, maybe…” Seven’s breath caught in her throat.

“You cannot propose to me while I am naked in your arms, exhausted from lovemaking. I would _consider_ with a proper proposal Kathryn.” Seven answered playfully.

“Understood, I will do it properly.” Kathryn responded kissing her way from behind Seven’s jawline to her forehead.

-

The entire crew gathered together on the flight deck. The ship was now docked at the Kyre spaceport.

Kathryn was just finishing her speech to the crew “We have a lot of work to do folks. Take your time off duty to explore the spaceport. Be friendly to the A’Crun and the Ky here and let’s get Voyager ready to head home.”

Her eyes caught Seven’s through the crowd and both women smiled warmly at each other.

 _If this is our life, always trying to find a way home but not quite making it…_ Kathryn thought. _At least we are a family. With Seven and soon our child it won’t matter where we are; my life is with her and my Voyager family._ She thought smiling.


	17. Revelations

_Three months_ Kathryn thought. They’d be laid up in dry dock for three months even with the A’Crun and Ky assistance. It was not ideal but it was certainly a much needed break for the frustrated crew.

Before Lev departed the ship she and Seven had met him, Kyp, and the Doctor in the medbay to discuss how she could have been impregnated by her lover. The Doctor had explained that there was a slight shift in her DNA due to the A’Crun serum, and even without the attempted resequencing the A’Crun did, the serum altered her enough to allow Seven’s DNA to impregnate her when she achieved release. They warned that it would be a lasting effect. She and Seven would have to use contraceptives preventing skin to skin contact of their most intimate parts if they wished to avoid additional pregnancies. They assured Kathryn there would be no other lasting effects. They inoculated her to the A’Crun phage just in case.

 _Three damn months we have to sit still_ Kathryn thought. It made her antsy to have to sit still for so long. They were one week in and she was already itching for some action. The crew was enjoying the respite. The spaceport had several holodecks, bars, a small casino, a giant outdoor garden with holo-animals from both the Ky’s and A’Crun’s planets, and a shooting range.

The repairs to Voyager were slow; she’d farmed out half of her engineering staff to help the A’Crun rebuild their power grid. Seven had been busy late into most nights dismantling the engram facility. Most days she woke to find Seven in her alcove or soundly asleep next to her. Kathryn would lightly kiss her cheek then go to assume bridge duty. Not that bridge duty was really a duty in dry dock. They sat completely still. She approved repairs, transported A’Crun and Ky engineers from the ship, and considered how she’d be able to interact with Chakotay before sentencing him to however many years in stasis before they reached home.

When she was off bridge duty today she’d have to go address him. The Doctor informed her that he had to wake Chakotay from his medically induced coma today. She dreaded the interaction.

Lieutenant Kim walked onto the bridge. “Nothing new Lieutenant” Kathryn called to him as she departed.

-

In the medbay the Doctor moved into the force field containing Chakotay. “Are you ready, Captain?” The Doctor asked.

“No, but I don’t think I will ever be ready for this, so go ahead wake him up” she answered back.

The Doctor injected him with a hypospray. “Deactivate sound deafening field” The Doctor called, stepping clear of the force field containing Chakotay.

Chakotay sat up and struggled to his feet. The Doctor explained to him what had happened to him and the medical interventions he had taken to save his life. Chakotay’s eyes locked onto Kathryn just on the other side of the field.

Chakotay’s eyes on her made her sick to her stomach.

“Kathryn” he said grinning.

Kathryn started, maintaining her Captain’s façade. “You betrayed your ship and your Captain. There are a million different ways you could have handled this situation even after your first attempt to assault me, you could have taken your lashings honorably, and eventually been reinstated as a member of this crew.” Her anger grew seeing the cocky grin on his face.

“Instead you chose to be a coward; hide your indiscretions by selling crew members and the Captain of the damned ship to a people _you knew_ would use us and _violate us,_ by turning us into child bearing slaves.” She spat. His arrogant smile didn’t break.

 _This is a fucking game to him_ Kathryn thought not allowing her own fury to show. She kept her face hard _I won’t give him the satisfaction of shaking my resolve again._ She thought.

“We were friends” She started, and tried to soften her voice.

“You used me, to pacify the Maquis, and for your own needs when it suited you” He interrupted his face hardening to match Kathryn’s stony countenance. He moved as close to the force field as he could without being zapped, he stared down at the smaller woman.

“When I asked for something in return for my service to this ship and for my service to you…” he trailed off. “When I told you I love you” his voice deepened and grew louder. “You unceremoniously tried to throw me from your quarters like a piece of discarded trash.” He finished at a near yell.

“I told you my feelings and you became aggressive. You lost control of yourself…” she replied.

“I didn’t lose control, _Kathryn,_ I was completely in control. I was only claiming what is mine.” Chakotay cut her off, he tried to use his size to intimidate her from behind his force field.

“ _Yours_ , good god you are deluded, Chakotay. I was never, nor have I, or would I ever be _yours_.” She spat back.

“Not since that _bitch_ came aboard Voyager, your pet project.” He glared at her.

“Commander Chakotay, you are hereby stripped of your rank, and commission in Starfleet. You have been found guilty of violating the following regulations: treason, munity aboard a commissioned Starfleet vessel, 18 counts of human trafficking, two counts of attempted sexual assault against a commissioned Starfleet Command Officer, 18 counts of conspiracy to commit assault, 18 counts of conspiracy to commit sexual assault, and 8 counts of first degree murder for your part in the deaths of our 8 female crew members. You will be held in stasis until Voyager reaches the Alpha Quadrant. These charges do not include those that have been discovered among your time with the Maquis. Starfleet will deal with you.” Kathryn finished her steel-blue eyes meeting his hateful gaze.

“You can call it sexual assault but we both know some part of you wanted it” he replied the eerie grin returning to his face.

“I can assure you, Chakotay, that was never the case” She scoffed.

Kathryn turned her attention to the Doctor. “Activate the anesthizine gas behind the field to knock him out before you move back in, we’ll get a security team down here to help you get him transferred to the stasis chamber. Contact Commander Tuvok once he’s inside to activate the storage protocol for the stasis chamber." Kathryn ordered, turning her back to Chakotay who was now slamming his fists against the force field, a stream of obscenities pouring from his mouth.

The noise from Chakotay’s yells and slamming fists stopped abruptly. Kathryn turned expecting to see that the gas had anesthetized Chakotay. Chakotay stood still behind the field, the Doctor was still working at the console to activate the gas and transport a stasis pod to the medbay.

“Your Starfleet principals make you weak. You’ll never get this ship home. At some point this crew will tire of following regulations set forth by a people who are who knows how many hundreds of light years from here. There will be another challenge to your command. You won’t even allow yourself to consider executing a man that took control of your ship from you, that took control of your own body. I just want you to know, Kathryn, at some point I will be freed from stasis, and when I am I will taste you. I will make you mine. And when I am ravaging your body, taking what I need from you, I want you to remember that you had a choice. You had the chance to accept my love for you back in the Delta Quadrant, it’s gone now, Kathryn. Tell me has she touched you, has she been _inside_ you...” Chakotay said his voice even and flat.

“I don’t think you understand _love,_ Chakotay” she said as she watched his body drop to the floor, overcome by the anesthizine gas. A security team pushed through the doors of the medbay and the stasis pod materialized near Chakotay’s unconscious form.

Kathryn turned her back to him again, tried to push his words from her head, and walked out of the medbay.

-

“Captain-Commander Tuvok” Kathryn’s badge chirped.

“Yes, Commander” she answered.

“Chakotay has been placed in stasis in the discussed tank.”

“Very well Commander, thank you.”

Kathryn tried to busy herself to forget Chakotay’s cruel words. She again glanced back over Voyager’s damage reports. Some part of her hoped that the three month spaceport stay had been a joke. After a few minutes it was clear the remaining 7 weeks were necessary.

“Captain-Doctor” The Doctors voice called over her com-badge.

“Please return to the medbay, you are late for your check-up” The Doctor added.

“I apologize Doctor, I’m on my way.” She answered. 

-

“I feel I should remind you we are approaching your second trimester, these weekly check-ups are necessary. You are carrying a child that is partly Borg. We need to be consistently monitoring nanoprobe levels and development, we don’t know…”

“I understand Doctor, I apologize. The appointment slipped my mind” Kathryn said cutting the Doctor off.

The Doctor ran the tricorder across Kathryn. “These nanoprobes are baffling, Captain. Have you looked in the mirror lately?” he asked.

“Of course Doctor, why do you ask?” she replied.

“Because my scans show you are around eight years younger than my first scans when you came aboard Voyager. The normal cell degradation that happens with age has reversed itself in your system...” The Doctor replied surprised.

“I noticed some of the lines around my eyes and mouth had smoothed. That my complexion has looked, well to be honest nearly flawless I just assumed it was the pregnancy” Kathryn replied shrugging.

“It is astonishing to see the nanoprobes repairing damage to cells caused by aging. I have not studied Seven’s nanoprobes to see the effect they have on aging in her system but judging by her rapid regeneration after injury, I would have to assume they have slowed the cell degradation in her system as well. I will have to conduct a study.” The Doctor announced.

“Now I am showing that you are about 12 weeks along Captain you should start showing soon. I can also now provide you with the gender of the fetus.” The Doctor grinned.

“I’d like to wait for Seven to be here with me before we discuss our child’s gender.” Kathryn replied.

“Very well, I’ll keep that news to myself until you are ready.” The Doctor replied.

-

Chakotay’s words hung heavily in the Captains ears as she laid down to try to get some sleep. Seven would be back sometime soon but most nights since they had put Voyager into dry dock, Kathryn was fast asleep before Seven came home.

His words _I will make you mine_ floated through her head. She drifted off into sleep and she dreamed of an enraged Chakotay, attacking her, trying to make good on his promise. She felt the weight of another body pressing down against her shoulders, a naked thigh rested between her legs. She cried out and in a panic shoved upwards against the body on her, throwing it to the floor.

“Ah!” The other voice cried out.

Kathryn shook from her sleep and glanced down to the floor finding a surprised Seven trying to collect herself from the floor.

“I’m sorry, darling” Kathryn whimpered.

“You were dreaming” Seven said pulling herself up to her feet. “I tried to wake you, you were crying, I assumed a bad dream. I was only trying to comfort you.” Seven finished slipping back into the bed, her naked skin pressed against Kathryn’s back.

“I’m sorry, darling. I dreamed it was Chakotay against me, trying to attack me. I would never try to hurt you, I’m so very sorry” Kathryn whimpered pulling Seven’s hands against her stomach.

“It’s okay, lover” Seven replied. “I understand the fear of being _violated;_ I have lived with the feared that the Borg would somehow re-assimilate me every day since you freed me. I am not upset. You are safe with me. I will keep you safe in my arms Kathryn” Seven said pulling her lover against her.

Kathryn blinked back tears. “I know I am, lover” She rolled and buried her face against Seven’s chest. “I had to speak with Chakotay earlier today and some part of me is terrified that stasis won’t be enough to contain the threat he poses to our crew. He was very cruel. It left me unsettled. And all this damned sitting still is not helping.” She said softly resting her face against Seven’s breasts.

“Perhaps it is time to consider another option for Chakotay.” Seven answered back trying to mask the anger in her voice.

“Perhaps, but I won’t execute him. We have held fast to our principals up to now through hell and back and I won’t allow his actions to turn us into monsters. The Ky and A’Crun engineering teams finished their inspection of our ship's damages with B’Elanna today and have a plan for how to proceed with repairs and potential improvements to our systems. We have a meeting with the lead of the A’Crun Council and the Ky Prime Minister; I’ll speak with Tuvok after and see if he has any thoughts on what to do about Chakotay.” Kathryn said snuggling deeper against her lover’s bosom.

Seven’s hands stroked delightfully through Kathryn’s hair.

“With the help of the A’Crun soldiers we have finished dismantling the Omega engram facility, so I will be at your service tomorrow, darling” Seven responded sleepily.

“Good, The Doctor has news about our child” Kathryn smiled widely.

“Is everything okay?” Seven faltered.

“Yes, darling, perfect in fact. He wishes to reveal the gender of our baby” she answered.

Kathryn looked up at her lovers face in the darkness and watched the grin spread across the young blonde's face.

“I love you.” Seven said planting kisses across Kathryn’s freckled forehead.

-

Kathryn sat anxiously in the conference room for the arrival of the Ky and A’Crun representatives. She was flanked on either side by Seven and B’Elanna. Seven’s hand lightly caressed her thigh under the table and the Klingon woman did her best not to take notice.

“Captain Janeway- Commander Tuvok, the representatives have both arrived. We are on our way to the conference room.” Tuvok called over her com-badge.

“Very well ,Commander, we await your arrival.” Kathryn replied quickly.

“Um, Captain, after the meeting I have some news I need to share you with. If you have a brief moment” B’Elanna said trying to avert her eyes from the movement of Seven’s arm underneath the table.

“Could it wait until later, Lieutenant? We are supposed to meet the Doctor” Kathryn replied settling her hand on top of Seven’s on her thigh, to halt the movement.

“It could, but it will be quick, Seven, you can hang back too. It could impact my duty status is all” B’Elanna glanced over and was relieved to see the two woman across the table were now both stationary.

“Very well, B’Elanna once this wraps up I’ll let the Doctor know we’ll be a few minutes late” Kathryn smiled at the Klingon.

The doors swooshed open to the conference room and in strolled Pok. Kathryn moved to her feet to greet him.

“Pok!” She embraced the tall brown-green scaly alien. He now sported a blue leathery looking jacket that bunched at his waist with knee length tales split in the front and the back and matching blue pants. The jacket was adorned with a red-orange flag that Kathryn was unfamiliar with.

“That is Lead Councilor Pok, Captain Janeway” He said with a flash of his orange eyes and a grin spreading across his face.

She smiled back at him warmly but questioning.

“We had a summit with the Ky Prime Minister upon my return to Acrunmoge. A condition laid forth by the Ky before agreeing to assist us with rebuilding our power grid and signing an official Acru-Ky peace treaty was that both planets agreed upon a new council lead. Unbeknownst to me, the Ky had been supporting the resistance on Acrunmoge. As a result, I was name Lead Councilor.” He smiled and made his way to one of the larger chairs in the conference room.

“Well this is unexpected, but excellent news nonetheless, Lead Councilor Pok” Kathryn replied patting the large man on his back.

Commander Tuvok strode in behind Pok with a very small man, approximately 4 foot tall and a large bulbous head, his appearance consistent with that of most humanoids, light tan skin, wrinkled with age, and wispy but sparse brown hair falling softly at about shoulder length. The man wore a loosely fitting silky purple robe, cinched at the neck with a golden flowery adornment.

“Captain Janeway, this is Prime Minister M’Rin of Ky” Tuvok said.

Kathryn moved to greet the small man. She held out a hand for him to shake.

“Very nice to meet you, Prime Minister” She said with a smile.

“You as well, Captain Janeway of Starfleet.” He said returning the smile.

He moved to take a seat at the table and glanced to Seven, he stopped abruptly. His eyes grew wide and fearful.

“Are you Borg?” M’Rin asked wide-eyed voice shaking.

“I have been liberated from the collective Prime Minister; my designation is Seven of Nine.” She nodded softly to the small man and forced a partial smile to try and put him at ease.

“Are you species zero-zero?” Seven asked startled at the memories that flooded back into her head.

“Yes, have the Borg come home?” M’Rin nodded his tiny hands visibly shaking.


	18. Assimilation

M’Rin finally settled into his seat after twenty minutes of pacing back and forth. At first he could not be convinced that Seven was not an immediate threat to Ky. Seven had become angry when M’Rin insinuated that she was a threat to Voyager and when she stood to defend herself Kathryn moved to her side. Kathryn’s hand pressed gently against Seven’s shoulder immediately calming her. Kathryn gave Seven a quick guarded kiss on the cheek and whispered _I’ve got this lover._ The interaction between the two women seemed to quiet the Prime Minister’s fears.

“Only the Prime Minister and the cabinet are privy to certain information about Ky history.” M’Rin started

“One of those topics is the Borg. Mind we have done what we could to address the issue; all enhancements, biological and cybernetic, are prohibited from study on Ky to avoid any repeats of the incident and we have worked with the A’Crun to keep any study from being conducted there. We became aware that we had failed when the A’Crun re-activated the old Ky omega production and engram facilities and began DNA resequencing.” M’Rin started nearly babbling.

“What are you saying here Prime Minister?” Kathryn asked.

All eyes in the room firmly trained on M’Rin.

“Can we secure this room? Councilor Pok, may I speak freely without fear of you prematurely revealing any information regarding what I am about to say to the Acrunmoge Council? We will provide any support you require to rebuild your power grid and any other support your planet would so request… if we can, for a short time, keep my revelations between us. I give you my word on that, Councilor Pok.” M’Rin said trying to steady his hands.

“Agreed” Pok said his eyes fixated on M’Rin.

“Computer, raise level 10 force field around this room, with sound dampening field. Janeway Code Alpha four, five, beta” Kathryn called out.

“Please continue, Prime Minister” Kathryn said.

“It is not a secret that Ky is a highly technologically advanced planet. We have made our mistakes in the past; experimenting with dangerous things we were not prepared to accept the consequences of. The briefs I have seen regarding Ky experimentation indicate it all started out innocently enough. Our civilization has records dating back several thousands of years. The earliest written records we have on file are from around eight thousand years ago. The Ky were on a quest to advance our civilization at all costs. The planet was rife with disease and discord. Thousands of years of pollution and industrial waste had ravaged our once lush, green planet. We, or rather the Ky of that day, recognized that we needed to take to the stars, find new planets, and new resources. Space travel, warp travel, and transwarp travel were all developed during that time. The Ky spread to any habitable planets we could find in this system and dozens of surrounding planet systems. At the same time, my people recognized, however, that the problems we had on Kyrag, our home world, would just be duplicated anywhere else we landed. Our technology was unsustainable.” M’Rin stared down at his own wrinkled hands before continuing.

“The Ky decided the problem was our own people. They took strides to perfect our form, experimented with DNA and implemented biological and cybernetic enhancements into the population. They tried to increase intelligence, increase strength, increase interconnectedness. They bred into the population hundreds of DNA alterations; alterations that they believed would make our people into beings with the best and most desirable traits. Their forms began to change, in appearance, in intelligence, and in all other manners. The Ky created hundreds of new species that remain in this quadrant of space to this day. The quest was…” M’Rin trailed off.

“Perfection” Seven interjected.

“Are you saying you unleashed the Borg on the universe?” Kathryn asked with a slight rise to her voice.

“Yes, the Borg were beings enhanced with superior intelligence, superior strength, and they had the ability to absorb intelligence from any new species they encountered. They quickly outgrew the Ky’s capacity to satiate their desire for new information and their desire to expand. We had no defense against them; once they started fighting back against the Ky we were nearly decimated. As a result, the Ky officials of the time developed a transwarp conduit. It was only used once and it was to launch the three Borg cubes that were attacking Kyrag into a region of space that was believed to be uninhabited. We used the engram facility to strip the collective of their memories so that they could not find their way back.” M’Rin drew in a deep breath and paused to look around the room.

“So, because your people couldn’t control their creation they launched to Borg into a region of space where they could destroy thousands of other planets and assimilate thousands of other species. My own astrometrics officer suffered at the hands of your creation!” Kathryn yelled, standing from her chair and slamming a closed fist down in front of her.

“I am sorry, Captain. If I were alive at the time, certainly we would have done things differently.” M’Rin replied his eyes downcast.

Kathryn collected herself and took her seat. “I’m sorry, Prime Minister M’Rin, certainly the Ky cannot be held responsible for the actions of their forbearers. I did not mean to lose my temper. This information just…” she glanced to Seven who sat stunned, staring at M’Rin. “Hits close to home” Kathryn finished.

“I understand, your own _partner_ , is a woman freed from the Borg. The emotional aftermath of being forced to become a slave to the Borg, I am certain, is no easy feat to overcome. I also apologize for the suffering you endured at the hands of the A’Crun as they were also a creation of the Ky. The A’Crun were created to fight back against the Borg.” M’Rin stopped and glanced around the room.

Total silence fell through the conference room as each person tried to process the information M’Rin had supplied.

“I understand if this information poses a threat to any deal or treaties we have forged with you or your people” M’Rin motioned to both Captain Janeway and Councilor Pok.

“No, we carry on; we will break this news to my people if or when we need to. The peace treaty is too important” Pok responded.

“Voyager needs repairs; this cannot be accomplished without the cooperation of both the A’Crun and the Ky. Perhaps some of the specs your people developed regarding transwarp conduits could help get us home. We will have much to discuss in the coming days, Prime Minister.” Kathryn announced.

“If we are all in agreement, the treaty stands. All work will proceed as previously discussed.” Kathryn stood glancing over each person in the room with a nod from each.

“Very well. M’Rin and Pok, discuss the plans for the upgrades and repairs to Voyager with my Chief Engineering Officer, B’Elanna Torres. Commander Tuvok, continue to provide personnel support to the A’Crun for any repairs needed to their power grid.” Kathryn ordered.

“Dismissed.” Kathryn stood from the table.

She moved to exit the conference room, anxious to talk to Seven regarding M’Rin’s confession and anxious to talk to Tuvok regarding Chakotay.

“Congratulations Captain, if any one good thing came from your abduction by the A’Crun I hope it is this.” M’Rin smiled warmly at Kathryn and ran a hand across her stomach.

“How did…” Kathryn trailed off.

“Intuition.” M’Rin replied.

Kathryn stepped into the passageway feeling suddenly nauseous. She was relieved to be out of that room, it was stifling. B’Elanna followed shortly after.

“Captain, if you have a moment” B’Elanna called.

“Yes, sorry, I just needed to… that was a lot.” Kathryn stuttered.

“I understand. I’ve been experiencing morning sickness as well.” B’Elanna said with a knowing look in her eyes.

“Alright, how many people don’t know I’m pregnant?” Kathryn responded frustrated then paused and realized what B’Elanna meant.

“You too, then?” Kathryn asked moving towards B’Elanna slowly and resting a hand on her stomach.

“Yes, Captain. A boy this time though. So your child…” B’Elanna took a deep breath. “Whose is it?” She asked her face full of concern.

“Actually, it’s Seven’s.” Kathryn replied with a half grin.

B’Elanna rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Kathryn. “I was afraid something bad had happened” B’Elanna pulled back slightly realizing her embrace might have been inappropriate.

Kathryn drew her in for a tight hug. “I was relieved too, the Doctor explained how it was possible, but I’m still confused. I just know that I am carrying the child of the person I love most in this universe” She shook her head taken aback by her own sudden confession.

B’Elanna recognized the embarrassment spreading across Kathryn’s face. “If it helps at all, Captain, we all knew you two were in love before you admitted it to yourself. It’s great to see you happy.” B’Elanna paused. “You are both such strong amazing women.” B’Elanna smiled deeply and hugged her Captain back so tight she groaned.

“Sorry… hormones” B’Elanna said.

“I understand.” Kathryn answered back.

-

Kathryn and Seven sat hand in hand in their quarters. To Kathryn’s dismay she held a cup of decaf coffee in her left hand but she was content to have Seven’s right hand in hers.

“Doctor- Captain” She called tapping her com-badge.

“Yes Captain” The Doctor called back.

“I have Seven with me, our baby?” Kathryn asked lightly but giddy.

“It’s a girl, Captain” The Doctor replied quickly.

“Thank you, Doctor.” Kathryn answered back taking Seven’s face into her hands and planting a warm, wet kiss on her lover’s lips.

“Are you okay, darling?” Kathryn asked Seven.

“Yes, my mind is preoccupied with the thought that the Ky created the Borg. I am also still stunned that I created a child with Kathryn Janeway” Seven said smiling and kissing Kathryn back.

“If you are off duty, darling, I’d love to distract you.” Kathryn said eyeing her lover.

“I am and please.” Seven said returning the seductive gaze.

Kathryn stood and grabbed Seven’s hand, leading her to their bedroom.

“I believe it is my turn.” Kathryn whispered, leaning over to pull the bio-mesh shorts and phallus from her nightstand.

“You wish for me to… wear this?” Seven replied cocking her head and reaching to take the toy from Kathryn.

“Yes, darling, I want to experience the sensations you did, and for you to feel what I felt.” Kathryn said lying back against the bed and wrapping her hands around Seven’s waist to pull her down on top of the smaller woman.

Seven moaned feeling Kathryn’s lips sucking hungrily at her neck. Seven slid the fabric of Kathryn’s uniform away from her neck and shoulder and nestled her face into the crook, kissing, and biting lightly. Kathryn moaned feeling Seven’s hands press up and down against her curves.

“I want to feel you inside me darling…please” Kathryn moaned.

Seven reached up and unzipped her biomesh suit, letting it fall to the floor. A moment later she was back on top of Kathryn, unzipping her blouse, pulling her pants down her legs, while she allowed her mouth to linger over each inch of skin she uncovered, kissing and nibbling her way to Kathryn’s feet.

Kathryn reached up and pulled her own shirt free and undid her bra allowing it to fall, wanting to feel every bit of Seven’s hot, silky skin pressed against her own. She gasped when Seven’s full breasts were pressed down against her own. Seven reached down and started sliding Kathryn’s lacey black panties down her legs. She wrapped a hand under the small of Kathryn’s back, nibbled at her inner thighs, letting the heat from her mouth drive her lover crazy, while she used her other hand to work Kathryn’s panties free.

“I want to feel you. I have never desired another so intensely” Seven called sinking her lips back against her lovers as their bodies pressed together writhing against each other.

Seven pushed herself back to her feet and grabbed their toy from the bed next to Kathryn. She slipped each of her feet into the shorts and brought it to rest just above her hips. Seven put her hand out and grabbed the phallus. She groaned just feeling her own hand against what felt to be her own sensitive flesh.

“Kathryn, I thought it would be perfection, but I had no idea” Seven said briefly stroking the device and feeling it grow stiff in her hand.

Kathryn wrapped her legs behind Seven’s hips pulling her down hard until she felt Seven’s weight pressed against her and the toy pressed lightly against her wetness.

“Do you require lubrication?” Seven asked lifting slightly.

“No darling, I believe I am plenty wet for anything you want to do to me” Kathryn groaned.

“Shall I?”

“Oh, yes”

Seven reached to position the toy to enter her lover and moaned deeply when she felt Kathryn’s body parting for her entrance.

Kathryn gasped as the warm toy slipped into her, Seven’s hips unconsciously bucked forward to drive as far as she could into her lover’s body.

“Ah” Kathryn moaned surprised. “It’s a lot” she whimpered.

“Should I retreat?” Seven asked in a gasp.

“No, darling it feels amazing, just go slow” 

Seven slowly pulled back, feeling the extension of herself slip against Kathryn’s velvety insides then pressed forward. She rocked herself back and forth gently thrusting forward wanting to feel her extension buried as deeply as she could push it into Kathryn.

Kathryn’s nails raked down Seven’s back. She wrapped her legs around Seven’s waist and thrust upwards to meet Seven’s forward plunge.

Both pumped their hips forward meeting deeply inside of Kathryn. Kathryn moaned feeling the toy throb inside her. The length of girth of the toy seemed to fill her completely and she could not get enough of Seven thrusting into her.

Seven moved harder and fast against Kathryn, Kathryn met her pace, bucking back against her lover.

Seven, unable to hold on any longer climaxed against Kathryn’s muscles pumping and gripping her. She thrust unevenly, panting, and moaning against her lover.

Kathryn, feeling the surge of fluid against her own and the throbbing of the toy inside her, broke. She dug her nails into Seven’s back and pulled the blonde against her as hard as she could, flexing her hips to allow the deepest penetration she could accommodate and came hard, her walls gripping against the device, vibrating, and pulsing with such intensity that it drove Seven into another even more intense orgasm. Both women came and collapsed into a heap on the bed.

“Seven, you are a goddess” Kathryn panted pulling Seven in for a sweet kiss.

Seven’s eyes swelled with tears. “I have never…” Seven said gasping.

“Felt anything… even close to the pleasure of or intimacy of driving you to an orgasm with my own. I love you Kathryn, every single part of me loves you in a way I do not even have words to describe” Seven pulled Kathryn against her kissing her lips, her cheeks, and her forehead.

“and I love you Seven, with my entire being” Kathryn replied enamored with being pressed against her lover and wrapped in her arms.

Both women quickly slipped into sleep. Seven stirred in the middle of the night suddenly aware she was still wearing the bio-mesh shorts and toy when Kathryn’s hand lightly brushed against her.

Seven stood and pulled the shorts off, distinctly aware it had been several days since she regenerated. She slipped into her alcove, the sound of Kathryn’s steady smooth breathing lulled her into a deep sleep.

-

 _I will taste you, I will make you mine_ a deep voice called out to Kathryn.

She was suddenly pinned, pinned hard at her wrists against the couch in her quarters.

“Stop, please” she begged.

Chakotay tore at her jacket and moved to free himself from his pants.

Then she saw the A’Crun come in, she was naked, she scraped around to try to find something to cover herself with but there was nothing, just the hard cold metal slab her body was cinched down against.

They shoved needles in her neck, toyed with her body, she wanted to vomit at the feeling of their long scaly fingers touching her but her stomach was empty.

Then Chakotay was there, prying her off the rack that held her and pushing her against the wall. She cried out, she fought him, unable to gain control of the situation, she broke into a whimper.

“Darling” a soft voice called.

Kathryn shifted in the bed.

“Darling” Seven said running her hands through Kathryn’s red hair.

“I am here, Kathryn. You are okay” Seven sat naked on the edge of the bed and planted soft kisses on Kathryn’s forehead.

Kathryn stirred and looked up into the cerulean blue eyes looking down at her. “Another bad dream”

“Perhaps you should speak to the EPH tomorrow. It seems you have been damaged more emotionally than you have been sharing by all of these things that have happened since before we were brought to the Omega Quadrant. Perhaps sharing those feelings will relieve you of your burdens. I worry about you.” Seven said softly kissing Kathryn’s forehead.

“I will, but tonight, just hold me please” Kathryn replied in a near whimper pulling Seven’s arms around her.

“I’m sorry darling, earlier I got caught up in the moment, I never asked if you were okay knowing this is where the borg were created” Kathryn leaded back and slipped her elbow down to support her head so she could see Seven’s face.

“Yes, I am functioning normally, that news is irrelevant.” Seven replied turning her gaze to meet Kathryn’s.

“I wouldn’t say it is irrelevant. This is the species that caused you to be abducted from your family, forced into the collective” Kathryn ran her hand across Seven’s tight stomach.

“I regret that I lost twenty years of my life, assimilating, and destroying civilizations but I was not an individual, I had no control of my own. And if I had not been aboard the Borg cube when you made your treaty we likely would not have found each other. While I have many regrets, I do not regret that the Borg brought me to you” Seven said her eyes tearing.

Kathryn kissed her way up Seven’s abdomen her mouth lingering over Seven’s implants until she reached her full lips and pressed in for a deep kiss. Then she rocked back onto her side to gaze at her lover’s gorgeous body under the starlight that streamed in from the viewport.

“So, species zero, zero…What do you know of them?” Kathryn asked.

“Very little, they are the closest thing the Borg have to a myth. I recognized their form but I have no recollection of the events that the Prime Minister described” Seven said.

Kathryn snuggled her body back down against Seven content to worry about all they’d learned in the morning. Tonight she just wanted to hold close to her lover.

-

“Captain- Lieutenant Kim” a voice called over Kathryn’s com-badge. Sleepy eyed she reached over to grab the badge off her night stand.

“Yes, Harry” she murmured into the badge.

“You were supposed to relieve me on the bridge thirty minutes ago and Command Tuvok is waiting in your ready room” he replied.

 _Shit_ she said untangling herself from Seven’s long limbs and jumping to her feet.

“Give me twenty minutes, Lieutenant. I seem to have overslept.” She replied, nearly stumbling to make her way to the bathroom.

“Computer, activate sonic shower” she called out, shutting the shower doors behind her.

Feeling refreshed Kathryn slipped into her uniform. She struggled briefly to get her jacket zipped. _Going to have to replicate a maternity uniform soon_ she thought quickly brushing her hair. She rushed to the couch shoes in hand to find Seven sitting across the room at the table with her legs crossed wearing only a blue satiny robe, un-cinched, covering only her breasts and lap. Her long blonde hair fell loosely at her shoulders.

 _Gods_ Kathryn thought, feeling the heat rush to her face. “I’m late and you are tempting” she growled slipping her feet into her shoes.

Seven glanced over at her lover eyes full of desire and with a half grin lifted a cup of hot coffee off the table towards Kathryn, then glanced back down at the padd she held in her other hand.

“Black?” Kathryn asked hazarding a few steps toward Seven while she tried to choke down her arousal.

“Of course, and decaf” Seven put the padd and the coffee on the table in front of her and slid a plate with a bran muffin towards Kathryn. “You require sustenance, please take this with you” 

Kathryn groaned. “Decaf…”

Seven stood and kissed Kathryn lightly on the cheek, her hands lingering on the smaller woman’s lower back, Kathryn slipped her hands into the robe running her hands over Seven’s warm thighs.

 _“Fuck”_ Kathryn moaned under her breath, shuddering at the touch. “If I don’t go now, Seven…” she groaned again, pulling her body away from Seven.

Seven smiled warmly and removed her hands from Kathryn. Her eyes dared Kathryn to give her a reason to pounce.

“I really have to, darling” Kathryn let out another deep groan, and grabbed the coffee and the muffin.

“I’m not on duty for another hour, Captain, I will meet you on the bridge” Seven glanced down at her robe. “When I am presentable.” She finished, leaning in and kissing the smaller woman on the cheek.

Kathryn shook her head and sighed, and was quickly on her way to the bridge.

-

“I apologize, Lieutenant Kim” Kathryn said half a muffin in her mouth as she walked onto the bridge.

“Not a problem, Captain, nothing to report.” Harry said turning towards the door.

“Lieutenant, once you are up from your night shift you’ll be replacing Seven on the crew working with the Ky in the engine room. Until we know that the Ky won’t have any issues working with her I’d like to keep her separated from them. I’ll have Tom take your shifts on the bridge.” Kathryn ordered, slipping into her chair to finish her muffin.

“I understand, Captain” Harry turned and left the bridge.

“Captain, I heard you come in, do you have a moment?” Tuvok said peaking his head out of the ready room.

“Join me, Commander” she replied motioning her head to the chair next to her.

“You missed our meeting yesterday” Tuvok said flatly lowering himself into the chair next to her.

“I’m sorry Commander; I don’t know where my mind has been.”

“It is understandable; you do not owe me an apology.” Tuvok said glancing to the Captain’s stomach.

“Seven and I, we found out yesterday, we are having a girl.” Kathryn grinned, sipping her coffee.

“Congratulations, to both of you” he replied, nodding. “What do you need to speak to me about?” he asked.

“Ah, yes. Chakotay. Are we doing the right thing? Have you heard any other rumblings of mutiny since he was confined?” She asked.

“I understand your concerns with Chakotay. The only remaining crew member with ties to the Maquis that holds a high position on the ship is Lieutenant Torres and I find it extremely unlikely that she would participate in any subversive activities. Also I spoke with The Doctor and all crew members with the exception of you have completed their screenings with the EPH without issue.” Tuvok started then took a moment to collect his thoughts.

“If there are any remaining seditious crewmembers the first logical action they would take is to free Chakotay. He was able to convince even some Starfleet crew members to mutiny. Captain, I know it is hard for you to hear, but without Chakotay on board and the two other confined crew members any further issues with dissent in the ranks would be nearly impossible. Perhaps the Ky or the A’Crun could provide us with a suitable location to relocate them? As I know execution is out of the question.” Tuvok raised an eyebrow to the Captain.

“Isn’t just putting them off the ship akin to execution? We don’t know whether they could survive on any alien planets in this sector or the quadrant for that matter. Also what civilized planet would accept our three prisoners knowing their charges?” She asked frustrated.

“I suppose then it is a question of whether holding true to our Starfleet principals is worth putting the crew at risk for three men that were willing to commit unspeakable acts against you and our crew, put our entire ship at risk of destruction by the A’crun, and caused the deaths of eight innocent women” Tuvok advised.

“When you weigh their actions, there is no doubt in my mind that they deserve whatever punishment they are given but they also fought by our side for years, and I can’t relegate my thoughts to believe that anyone is unredeemable.”

“I understand your emotion; however, is it worth the risk?”


	19. Rebuilding

“Kyp, what are you working on down here?” Harry asked surprised to see the large green-teal alien crouched down on the floor in engineering, only his lower body visible outside the Jefferies tube. “And in a Starfleet uniform?” Harry asked kneeling next to Kyp to look into the tube, the yellow stripe across his shoulders suggested he had been inducted into the engineering department.

“I’m working to enhance the bio-neural gel packs. Lieutenant Torres explained that they have been subject to repeated infections. Using your Captain’s nanoprobes, The Doctor and I devised a method to make infection essentially impossible. They also increase connectivity and processing power which will help support the shield, weapon, warp core, and hull modifications that the Ky engineers are working on. Once complete, we believe Voyager will be able to sustain another trip through a transwarp conduit the Ky intend to open to jump Voyager back into the Alpha Quadrant.” Kyp said finishing his work, he pulled a hypospray from his belt and injected the gel-pack. Then reached up to the edge of the Jefferies tube and used his large muscular arms to pull his body free of the tube.

“I believe Lieutenant Torres was awaiting your arrival, she said she had orders for you and me.” Kyp announced following Harry into the small office B’Elanna worked in.

“Kyp, Lieutenant Kim. Here are some modifications I’d like you to complete in Jefferies tube 54 to the power grid. We need to enhance the grid at several junctions there so they can support the additional power from the warp core to the shields.” She announced passing a padd to Harry, but barely looking up from her work.

“On it, I’ll show you the way, Kyp.” Harry called Kyp following him from the engine room.

-

Pok stood in the large dimly lit Kyre Operations Center. Monitors covered every wall, with sensor data streaming in. Small men and women, all with bulb shaped heads and wispy hair wearing different color robes that seemed to indicate their rank and position, busied themselves at the consoles that covered every wall besides the small entrance he had to duck through to enter the room. The floor was hard steel plated. The ceiling had a small window at the center that allowed him to see the stars above the Kyre Spaceport. There was a large round table in the center with an opening in the middle immediately under the window in the ceiling. Pok waited for the Ky council to enter the room. They’d never had a meeting here with the Ky, the furnishings were simply not large enough to accommodate the A’Crun. Pok studied the tiny chairs and determined he would remain standing for the duration of the meeting.

The Ky’s cabinet trickled in slowly, 12 members in all, the last to enter was M’Rin. The rest of the cabinet stood when he entered.

“All members that are not a part of this cabinet please clear the room, the secondary operations center is active” he ordered, taking his seat at the door nearest the door.

“Computer, secure” M’Rin called out.

A chime sounded to indicate the operations center was secure.

“Lead Councilmen Pok” M’Rin said nodding his head.

Pok climbed the couple of steps until his was standing on the platform at the opposite side of the table from M’Rin.

“We have much to discuss. Please, if at all possible, make yourself comfortable.” M’Rin said nodding to the end of the table.

Pok again glanced down at the small chairs, then, spotting a large crate in the corner, easily hoisted it to his shoulder and brought it to the table; he pushed the tiny chair from his spot and dropped the crate. He slipped his long legs over the top of it and sat hunched uncomfortably high above the very low table.

“I assume your council is already aware of the situation?” Pok started in a measured and controlled voice.

“Yes, we wish to keep the recent revelations at only the highest levels of both our government and yours, if possible.” M’Rin said firmly.

“I disagree” Pok replied calmly. “Before we discuss that, I would like an explanation as to why this was kept from us.”

“After years of struggle between our peoples, after the civil war that resulted in the A’Crun being moved to their own planet, we were concerned that the details behind your evolution would prove to be…” M’Rin paused carefully selecting his words.

“Too great a burden for the A’Crun to bear” M’Rin finished.

Pok stared for a moment reading the smaller man. “You are aware that our sense of intuitions is as finely tuned as yours are you not?” Pok responded with a little more force.

“Yes”

“Then why do you insist on telling me half-truths? For this dialogue to accomplish anything at all I need you to be completely transparent with me. I have not provided any reason for you to not trust me and I have not yet spoke with the A’Crun Council regarding this, as per your request. Now, as I asked before, why was this kept from us?”

“To protect the peace. Your species is the result of DNA experimentation on Kyrag. You were the creation of the Ky, engineered to fight back against the Borg. When the Borg threat was no longer present, the A’Crun, with their larger, faster, stronger physiology, and an intelligence nearly matching our own would no longer adhere to the rules the Ky had set. They would no longer accept a place at the bottom of our society. Therefore, your ancestors were abandoned on our sister planet, your history erased using the engram facility. The Ky leaders that made these decisions never expected you to evolve as fast as you have or that you would reactivate the abandoned facilities on that planet. A decision was never made on how to manage any of those potential scenarios. If this is all released to your people, the past history of Ky, and the DNA experimentation, A’Crun could easily overrun us. Your people are much more powerful; the only way we have maintained balance to this point is by having superior technology.” M’Rin finished.

“You underestimate us, Prime Minister. The A’Crun aren’t savages. We have been run by a savage government that pushed our people to act as such but that has been dismantled. I have slowly been replacing the other members of the council with A’Crun I know I can trust to do right by our people. How are we to learn from our mistakes, from our history, if it is not fully revealed to our people and yours? If the A’Crun had known the dangers of Omega, the dangers of DNA experimentation, and the history of the war with the Borg perhaps Acrunmoge would not have acted so callously, so without regard for the possibility of causing history to repeat itself. Being in such close proximity to one another and with such a deep shared history I believe it is time for us to consider the possibility of a joint government. Joint rule over both planets and an equal sharing of supply and technology” Pok stated softly.

“That is a lot to consider. We have the technology….” M’Rin started.

“And we have brute strength and more natural resources than can be found on Ky. Without the steady supply of organic foodstuffs to Kyrag from Acrunmoge your people would cease to exist. We have been much kinder to our planet than you were to yours. I know where the power lies here, Prime Minister, I understand your hesitation and I am not trying to make a power play that would harm both of our people but, you could not survive without us and we need your technology.” Pok stood to stretch out his long limbs.

“You have given us a lot to consider. I do not think revealing this information to your people or ours is in anyone’s best interest and a joint government, I do not think, is possible at this time.” M’Rin started but was interrupted by Pok slamming his fist down on the small table.

“Do not feed me a line of Ky propaganda. We can try to handle this separately. I WILL tell my people what you have revealed to me and you’ll hide if from yours. Tensions will erupt between our planets, tearing this spaceport apart. The battered Starship that saved my planet and facilitated this very peace talk, the U.S.S. Voyager would then be caught in the middle of a bloody conflict. Are you willing to destroy these travelers that have helped us and sacrifice multitudes of your people and mine for the sake of Ky pride? Because that is the discussion here! We have lived with the Ky way for several millennia and this is where it brought us!” Pok yelled. Pok’s expression calmed, he straightened his uniform and lowered his large body back onto the crate.

“Councilor, you have given us much to consider” M’Rin said glancing between the other small men and women surrounding the table “would you grant us a moment alone to discuss this issue?”

Pok stood silently, ducked his head through the small door and moved out into the hallway.

-

Kathryn reclined on a chair in a holodeck recreation of a therapist’s office. The room was warmed by a small but ornate fireplace in the corner nearest the door. The wrought iron fireplace doors were decorated with stained glass causing the movement of the flames to dance colors across the plush grey carpeting of the room. Two walls were lined with dark cherry bookshelves. The plush burgundy chaise lounge chair she stretched out on sat in the center of the room. On one side of her tall oak double doors bordered with intricately carved wooden spirals and the other a large cherry desk which the EPH sat behind.

“I am recommending that you keep seeing me on a weekly basis, Captain.” The black haired woman with the wire rimmed glasses announced to Kathryn.

“Weekly? I already have weekly check-ups with the Doctor. Is that really necessary?” Kathryn groaned.

“Yes, Captain. I do not feel at this time that your duty status should be affected however you are showing some signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. If you do not attend your weekly appointments with me I will be forced to recommend that you be removed from duty. Early intervention in these situations is crucial.” The older woman moved around the desk and reclined her back against it. 

“I have a great deal of experience with women who have experienced the type of violence you have as well as, although I know the mindset has changed since my time, people who prefer same sex relationships. “ The EPH finished slipping her hands into the pockets of her grey cardigan.

“What was your time?” Kathryn asked rolling to meet the eyes of the older woman.

“The 20th century” She replied softly, smiling.

“And what should I call you?”

“Dr. Smith, will do just fine, Captain. Dr. Adrienne Smith. If you weren’t pregnant I could prescribe you with something to help with the anxiety and to help you sleep but I hesitate unless it becomes completely necessary. Keep communicating with your partner; sharing some of your burden will help you cope. And try those breathing exercises I recommended, perhaps meditation even, from the sounds of it your First Officer can assist. If you need me I will be on stand-by here in holodeck one until your engineering team finishes converting the quarters on Deck 3 into an office for me.” The EPH finished smiling warmly at Kathryn and pushing her wire rimmed glasses back against her face.

“Thank you, Dr. Smith. I’ll call if I need you” Kathryn said, swinging her legs to the floor and exiting the holodeck.

Kathryn made her way to the medbay curious to discuss Dr. Smith with the Doctor.

The Doctor sat reclined at his desk, feet propped up on the table, lightly singing along to Klingon opera.

“Doctor” Kathryn said, startling him enough for his feet to slip off the desk.

“Yes, Captain?” he asked standing.

“I was curious…the EPH you programmed… who is she?” Kathryn asked settling into a chair in front of him.

“Actually, you and Seven inspired that selection. She was born in the early twentieth century and studied at the University of Chicago to earn her PHD. Dr. Adrienne J. Smith. I based her appearance, mannerisms, and knowledge on all available information on her actual life. She was on the forefront, during her time, of studying psychology among the homosexual community. She was also strongly involved in women’s rights and treated a great number of patients that had suffered from sexual abuse. An interesting point about Dr. Smith is that she was also one of the first openly lesbian psychologists on Earth. I of course also provided her program with all the data available on psychology among any of the species in our databases as well as all the necessary data on the crew and the ship.” He finished grinning at Kathryn.

“Oh, thank you Doctor, I found her interesting and very warm.” Kathryn said standing.

“Enjoy your Klingon opera” Kathryn said motioning a hand to the Doctor as she turned to leave.

-

“Is this the last of the breeding and DNA alteration facilities?” Tom asked. “By my count this is number ten, all confirmed closed and empty”.

“Yes, Mr. Paris” Lev replied.

“So is it Councilmen Lev now?” Tom asked rushing to catch up with the taller alien. Tom had to take very long strides to keep up with Lev who moved toward their shuttlecraft.

“Yes, Council Lead Pok appointed me two days ago.”

“Nice, congratulations.” Tom said beaming a wide grin.

“Congratulations to you as well, Kyp sent me a communique yesterday. I understand your wife is carrying your second child.” Lev replied.

“Yes, we just found out. A boy” Tom grinned again.

“Kyp is very excited to be able to work amongst your crew. I trust you will all see to his care?” Lev asked stopping to look at Tom.

“Of course, as if he were one of us to start with” Tom said patting the large man on the back.

“He has been through more than his fair share of tragedy for being so young. I will soon have a child of my own but before then he is my only kin. I struggle with the thought of watching him leave with Voyager although I feel that it is best for him.” Lev sighed.

“He’ll be among a new family, the Voyager family. We take care of each other.” Tom smiled

Lev turned and started walking again towards the shuttle. “He speaks highly of your crew, the first time I’ve heard him speak of feeling as though he belonged somewhere since he lost his wife. He spoke of your Lieutenant Kim, the young man’s passion for life and hope has motivated him. I’m certain they will be fast friends.” Lev said pulling the hatch open to the shuttle and ducking inside.

-

Seven stepped into astrometrics and was greeted by a beaming smile from Icheb.

“I overheard the Captain speaking with Lieutenant Torres outside the conference room. A baby, Seven? Yours’s and the Captains? He asked.

“Yes, word travels fast.” She replied quickly with a modicum of irritation in her voice.

“Are you frustrated by this, Seven?” He asked earnestly moving his head to catch her eyes.

“No, Icheb I apologize, I did not mean to insinuate that I am not happy.” Seven paused to gather her thoughts averting her gaze from his.

“After the collective, so many other voices, I was enjoying for the moment the feeling of having…” she stopped again and shut her eyes.

“Something that was just mine” She finished her eyes fluttering.

“I understand” Icheb smiled knowingly.

“Progress, Ensign?” she asked quickly changing the subject.

“Yes, I have uploaded the Starcharts the Ky and the A’Crun provided.” He moved to type at the console. He brought into view hundreds of planet system and a nearly full map of the Omega Quadrant.

“They provided information on nearly every planet, resources on each, and reports on the inhabitants. With this I was able to extrapolate that we are closest to the Gamma Quadrant. If you overlay the Starcharts they line up here.” He typed to zoom the view in. “The planets and stars on the edge of both Quadrants line up. This puts us about 50,000 light years from the Gamma Quadrant, at least now we know which direction to move.” Icheb finished, pleased with his work.

“Good work; I’ll go brief the Captain.” Seven lightly patted Icheb’s back before leaving.

-

_Chirp Chirp_

“Enter” Kathryn called to the door in her ready room.

“Captain, it seems the Ky and the A’Crun have come to some sort of agreement. They stated that they will soon hold a summit to discuss their agreement. It will be held in a hall on the spaceport and they are requesting the full attendance of our crew, as well as our assistance in transporting residents of both planets to the spaceport.” Tuvok announced.

“Very well, do we know when it will be held?” She asked.

“They have not yet set a date, they stated they are still working out the details of the agreement.”

“Okay, please arrange whatever assistance we can provide and have it on stand-by for when they are ready to go ahead with the summit” she ordered returning to the reports Seven had provided.


	20. Completed

**Captain’s Log Stardate 55560.64:**

_Week 3 aboard the Kyre spaceport, the repairs to Voyager are coming along swimmingly. The willingness of the A’Crun and the Ky to provide support in rebuilding and fitting Voyager with upgraded technology has been surprising considering the state of things when we entered this Quadrant. Both species have proven to be very helpful and generous._

_The repairs to the ship’s hull are nearly complete. Our power grid has been repaired and enhanced to accommodate the Ky’s upgrades underway to our Warp Core._

_Lieutenant Paris and Seven, along with several other members from engineering, have spent the last two weeks among the A’Crun assisting repairs to their power system. The power plants on each continent are also being retrofitted with hydroelectric and solar power generators. Once the work is finished there they will be able to easily power all four continents._

_Under the leadership of Councilor Pok the A’Crun seem to be thriving. They are coming out of the darkness that had settled over the planet under the past regime and working together towards a brighter future._

_Talks between the A’Crun and Ky leadership regarding their treaty are still taking place, the summit is still pending._

_On a personal note The Doctor assures me my child is growing as expected and that I should not expect any surprises. I met again this week with Dr. Smith who expressed that with her continued counseling there is hope for me to move past the symptoms of the PSTD she has diagnosed me with._

**Captain’s Log Stardate: 55567.82:**

_Week Four aboard the Kyre spaceport, the repairs to Voyagers structure completed earlier today. The Ky enhancement to the hull and structural stability will ensure Voyager can easily withstand the stresses of transwarp travel. Lieutenant Torres is now working along the Ky Engineers to upgrade ships weapons. Lieutenant Kim and our newly appointed Security Officer Lieutenant Kyp are being trained on the new weapons functionality and working to improve our sensors with the help of Ensign Icheb._

_The crew has been enjoying their off time aboard the spaceport. Everyone’s spirits are high and a renewed sense of hope has spread through the crew. The crew, the Ky, and A’Crun aboard the spaceport have all interacted with surprisingly little friction._

_The summit has still not been scheduled but the leadership from both planets continues to meet most days to try and hammer out the details of the treaty. I’ve spoken with Lead Councilor Pok on several occasions since the first meeting he had with the Ky Prime Minister and although he has expressed a great deal of frustration with the Ky, they seem to be slowly resolving their differences._

_I do not know what surprises the coming days hold and I can’t foresee what the outcome of this summit will be but I hope for the sake of Voyager and both the Ky and A’Crun it is a lasting peace._

_Seven had a brief two day respite from the repairs on Acrunmoge, I miss her dearly, and it was wonderful to spend some time together. We have settled on a name for our child, Kella Hansen Janeway. It is an Irish name that means ‘Warrior’, it seems fitting._

**Captains Log Stardate: 55581.26:**

_Week 6 aboard the Kyre Spaceport, all the upgrades and repairs to Voyager have been completed with the exception of the warp core. Work is expected to start on the warp core tomorrow. Lieutenant Torres will be heading the joint Voyager, Ky, and A’Crun team to complete the upgrades. The new equipment being installed will allow Voyager to travel at transwarp speeds. Even if the Ky’s experiments to open a transwarp conduit to the Gamma Quadrant are unsuccessful these upgrades should allow us to make it to the Gamma Quadrant within a few months._

_Lieutenant Seven is back aboard Voyager and has been working with Ensign Icheb to plot us a course across the Omega Quadrant and into the Gamma Quadrant. From there we will be able to make our way to the Bajoran wormhole, and then… home._

_Once we are safely away from A’Crun and Ky space we will neutralize the Omega Particles we have held in stasis, however, several are being supplied to the Ky in the hopes of them being able to use the particles to establish a permanent corridor between the Omega and Gamma Quadrants. After much discussion with Commander Tuvok we determined that overriding the Omega Directive in this case is appropriate. The Ky have the technological background to utilize the particles for a far greater use than their destruction would provide._

_Lieutenants Paris, Kim, and Kyp have been working with Lev to find appropriate placement for the women that were abducted by the A’Crun. The Delta Flyer has been put into use to transport some to Kyrag and some to the spaceport. Lev ensured that the women were provided the opportunity to decide where they went. We have promised the A’Crun that if the Ky are able to set a permanent transwarp corridor we will return and offer transport to the Alpha Quadrant if any of the women wish. I would take them aboard now but I do not want to put any unnecessary persons at risk._

_I’ve continued my weekly appointments with Dr. Smith and she has recommended that I make a final decision regarding Chakotay’s fate. With our transit being shortened to a matter of months at most I’ve decided retaining him, Aylo and Goetz aboard presents little threat to the crew. We will turn them over to Starfleet authorities when we arrive at Deep Space Nine. I intend to ask Commander Sisko to deal with them while we finish our transit to the Alpha Quadrant._

_The talks between the Ky and A’Crun continue. The summit of course has still not been scheduled, I’m not certain what is causing the delay but Pok tells me by the time the repairs to Voyager are complete they will be prepared._

**Captains Log Stardate 56623.15:**

_Week 12 aboard the Kyre spaceport, Voyager’s warp core has been upgraded. Our shields, weapons, and hull integrity all have been enhanced by the Ky’s technology. There is no doubt now that our ship will be the most advanced piece of technology the Alpha Quadrant has ever seen. With these upgrades we could take on fleets of enemy ships and perhaps have a chance to stand toe to toe with the Borg._

_The Ky and A’Crun have finally settled on a treaty. The summit will take place tomorrow morning. The entire crew of Voyager has been invited; we will secure the ship and leave the Doctor in charge on the bridge, to allow our crew to attend._

_The Ky have powered up the facility that will create the transwarp corridor to the Gamma Quadrant but there are still concerns about safety and they tell me it will take weeks of testing to see if they can stabilize the corridor._

_We will depart from the spaceport tomorrow evening, allowing all members of the crew, with the exception of the Doctor, a full twenty-four hours off duty to decompress._

_Our crew has been released from responsibilities of assisting the A’Crun. The resettlement of the abducted women is now being handled by Councilor Lev. Acurnmoge’s power grid is now fully functional and providing power to all continents. It seems our work here is done._

_I look forward to our voyage home and getting to meet Kella. I’m 23 weeks pregnant now, 4 more months to go. I’ve started to show. I replicated maternity uniforms today for the first time. I’ll have to do the same for my dress uniform for tomorrow’s ceremony._

_I am very hopeful that tomorrow’s events will bring Voyager yet another step closer to home._

-

“I feel _silly_ in this high-necked blue Starfleet blouse; could I just go in my bio-mesh suit?” Seven asked.

“Darling, you are Starfleet now, I understand you still need to wear the bio-mesh suit but could you tolerate for a few hours wearing a Starfleet uniform overtop? It is only to represent Voyager at this summit.” Kathryn asked straightening the taller woman’s collar.

“Fine, but I do not like it.” Seven responded shaking her head against the tight collar against her neck.

“In my opinion, you look damn sexy” Kathryn responded her eyes glancing all the way from Seven’s feet, up her long legs, across her chest, finally meeting her eyes.

“Well, I do like that. I am only doing this because you asked” Seven grumbled grabbing Kathryn’s blouse and pulling her in for a kiss.

Kathryn’s gasped at the forcefulness of Seven’s kiss and embrace.

“And you look as though you need to be ravaged” Seven whispered hotly into her ear.

“Gods, yes.” She moaned. “Later though…please” She groaned. “We must attend this summit, I have a strong feeling that they will notice if Voyager’s Captain is missing.” She paused pulling Seven’s face down to hers. She ran her cheek alongside of Seven’s and whispered “As much as I want and need to feel your body on mine, and _buried_ inside me…” She paused her eyes fluttering. “We must go.” Kathryn finished, taking a step away from Seven and licking her lips.

Seven shuddered and gasped lightly, letting her eyes linger over her lovers body. “We must go now then.” Seven turned towards the door.

She followed Kathryn from their Quarters and into the Kyre spaceport.

They entered the large chamber the summit was to be held in. Three decks worth of seating, the room looked to hold a few thousand or more. Seven took her seat amongst the Voyager crew to the left of the stage and Kathryn moved to a spot on the stage near Pok and M’Rin. The room was crowded with A’Crun and Ky. Every seat in the room was filled. The back of the room crowded with both Ky and A’Crun citizens standing to fill in the empty space behind the chairs.

“Good Afternoon, Kyrag and Acrunmoge. For those of you who do not know me I am Prime Minister M’Rin” he started. The room fell silent.

“This summit will be broadcast across all channels and all frequencies on our planets.” M’Rin started.

He launched into an in depth explanation of all that had occurred through the history of the Ky and the A’Crun. The crowd hung on every word he said. He explained the events that had brought Voyager to the Kyre spaceport. He discussed all that had occurred on Acrunmoge. When the crowd started to seem restless he handed the microphone over to Pok.

“I understand this information is a lot to absorb. Our history on Acrunmoge has been rocked. The Ky that stand before you today are not the Ky that perpetrated these offenses against us and cannot be held responsible for those that came before them. The Ky here today have chosen to share with us their knowledge and their technology. Their people, today, have agreed to a joint government that will join both of our planets for the benefit of both our peoples. As such I have been nominated to lead this joined government with Prime Minister M’Rin as an advisor. I will assume the role of President of the A’Crun-Ky alliance and a year from today we will hold elections on both planets to officially elect a president.” Pok stopped glancing around the room for any objections. The room was silent.

“For those of you that do not know this is Captain Janeway, of the U.S.S. Voyager.” Pok said motioning to Kathryn to stand and passing the microphone to her.

“First I want to thank the Ky and A’Crun for their kindness and assistance in repairing and enhancing Voyager. Thanks to both of your people’s we are finally ready to make our voyage home. We did not all start on the best of terms but being here today with all of you has renewed my hope for this galaxy and all others beyond it.” Kathryn paused, clamping her eyes shut; reconsidering for the thousandth time the words she’d say next. She’d planned her words carefully, and still her mouth was dry, palms sweating.

“If I could borrow a moment of everyone’s time there is a personal matter I must address” Kathryn said softly into the microphone.

“Seven, where are you darling?” Kathryn called out, the heat from the lights on her making her sweat.

Seven stepped free of the row she sat in and into the aisle.

“For those of you unware, Seven and I have courted since before we left the Delta Quadrant. Compliments of the DNA alteration the A’Crun conducted, I am pregnant with her child” Kathryn started drawing in raspy breath.

“And, I have never been happier.” She started drawing a small box from her pocket, and flipping it open, it contained a silver band adorned, a small shimmering jewel centered on it.

“I could not imagine a life without you in it… without your embrace… without your love. Would you please do me the great honor of joining your life with mine? Seven of Nine, Annika Hansen, will you marry me?” She called, moving off the stage to drop to one knee in the aisle.

Seven walked slowly, closing the distance between her and Kathryn. She forced her eyes shut trying to press the tears back.

She knelt down in front of Kathryn, taking her free hand in her own, and cradling the hand with the ring in the other.

“I could never imagine my life intertwined with another’s, I love you, and when I think of my future every moment possible contains you” Seven whispered into her ear.

“Yes, I will marry you, Kathryn Janeway” Seven called into the microphone.

The arena filled with cheers.

Seven and Kathryn collapsed into each other’s embrace, meeting for a sweet kiss. 

The remainder of the summit went by both women with a blur. Another chair was brought on the stage to allow Seven a spot next to Kathryn. Pok and M’Rin both took questions from the crowd and did their best to calm their people’s fears of the merger.

Kathryn held tight to Seven’s hand. She reveled in the moment and realized that no matter what the coming days brought she would have Seven at her side. She reveled in the feeling of finally letting her command mask fall to the ground in front of her crew and the thousands of others in the room. In helping Seven regain her humanity she had rediscovered her own. She felt the walls she had put up to keep others at a distance tumbling. In that moment she looked around and took stock of the fact that she should be filled with an immense pride that she’d help create peace between two warring planets. There would be a joint-government. Voyager’s upgrades would facilitate communications and trade at transwarp speeds, the joint government could become an ally of the Federation. She felt the stirrings of pride for Voyager’s accomplishments but all of her attention on was her family. She could feel her heart beating deeply in her ears, drowning out the conversation in the room and her entire focus was drawn to the feeling of Seven’s fingers wrapped through her own. The only coherent thought she could muster was that her heart and her life was now forever held, wonderfully so, in the hand of the beautiful blonde Borg that sat beside her.


	21. After-Party

Seven and Kathryn were the first out of the summit. They slipped out before the crowds had a chance to make their exit. Hand in hand they made their way back to Voyager, giggly, and playfully embracing in celebration of their engagement.

Stepping back in the cargo bay from the spaceport they encountered a teary eyed Harry Kim leaning with his back against a crate. “Captain, do you have a moment?” he asked weakly.

“Of course, Lieutenant Kim. Go on ahead Seven, I’ll meet you in our quarters.” She said letting go of Seven’s hand with a quick kiss to her hand alongside the ring nestled at the base of her ring finger.

“Walk with me, Harry.” She said softly patting him on the back, leaving her hand resting against his shoulders while Seven walked ahead shooting a smile back to her lover before exiting the cargo bay.

They walked together to the deserted mess deck. “Computer, lights” Kathryn called out. She ordered a cup of decaf coffee from the replicator. “Harry, do you need anything?” She asked concerned.

“Scotch, on the rocks” he called.

She grabbed both drinks and slid into the chair across from one he sat in, near the viewports that looked out at the stars.

“What’s troubling you, Harry?” she asked.

He stared out at the stars behind her for a moment, taking a small sip of the scotch. He finally replied “Your proposal to Seven.” He murmured.

“I’m sorry, Harry; I know at one time you were interested in pursuing a relationship with Seven. I certainly didn’t mean to upset…” She paused when he moved his mouth to speak.

“No, Captain, I’m not upset about your engagement. It is… I’m not upset that you and Seven are committed. I’m thrilled in fact, I’m happy you are both happy.” He said smiling faintly.

He took another sip of his drink. Then brought the cup to his lips and poured the rest into his mouth, he swallowed and shook his head at the burning of the beverage running down his throat.

“Another?” Kathryn asked standing and moving towards the replicator.

“Please” he squeaked, tears returning to his eyes.

She took her seat and slid the drink to him.

“I can’t pry it out of you. What did you want to talk about?” she questioned.

“It’s you” he took a ragged breath. “How do you relegate yourself to not being who everyone expected you to be? You have been _Captain Janeway_ for so long, untouchable, unattainable, caring for the crew but almost apathetic to the idea of love.” He paused to take another gulp of his scotch. “Yet you discarded your command mask to profess your love for a former Borg, of the same gender. How do you gain that courage when it flies in the face of everything you have portrayed yourself to be in these last eight years to everyone we have become so close to aboard Voyager?” he sniffled.

“Harry” she said reaching over to take his hand. “The only person I answer to when I go to bed at night is myself. I make the best decisions I can with all the available information I have and even being the Captain I’m not infallible. The only truths I’ve been able to hold fast to throughout this voyage are as Captain you keep your shirt tucked in, go down with the ship, and never abandon a crew member. Everything past that has been touch and go. At a point I had to acknowledge that I am not only _Captain Janeway_ ; Kathryn is inside here as well” She said patting her chest. “Being Kathryn means that I have to acknowledge that Seven means more to me than anyone ever has. I love her with my entire being and even Captain Janeway can’t let the chance pass to start building a life with her. I would regret every single moment we lost.” She sighed trying to read Harry’s expression.

Harry took another gulp of his drink. “I’m just not this guy Tom wants me to be. He keeps trying to set me up with all these different women. He tells me I pick the wrong women but the truth is I’m not interested in any of them.” He swallowed deeply and looked down at the table.

“The truth is, Captain, I have fallen for someone. All the time I’ve spent with him, he’s kind, strong, beautiful in his way, and so gentle. But I’m terrified to make any steps, terrified of what everyone would think, terrified of being rejected.” He sighed.

“I don’t mean to pry but I assume you are referring to Kyp. And I can tell you that man adores you. I’ve hardly had a conversation where he didn’t mention your name. I doubt he’d be disappointed if you mentioned your feelings. As for everyone else, they’ll love you just the same, they’ll adjust. I doubt I would have had the same advice when we left from the Alpha Quadrant but sometimes, Harry, you just have to let your heart lead the way and pray it doesn’t steer you wrong.” She said smiling.

“Thank you, Captain.” He said jumping to his feet. “I think I have to do this now before I lose my nerve.” He grinned back at her as he walked from the mess deck.

“Gods, I hope that works out” Kathryn whispered under her breath sipping her coffee.

-

Kathryn entered her quarters to find Seven in her blue satin robe that she knew made Kathryn crazy.

 _Nothing underneath_ Kathryn thought catching glimpses of Seven’s skin. Seven stood in front of the replicator, she withdrew ropes from the relplicator. The ropes looked soft, similar to the biomesh of Seven’s suit.

“Darling, what are your plans for tonight?” Kathryn asked cocking her head.

“Today, you removed all emotional restraints for our relationship. I have struggled with control _issues_.” Seven said looking down at the ropes in her hands. “After having no control with the Borg, I have had trouble relinquishing control to you. I wish to do so tonight. I know I am safe with you and I believe being bound, with you in control of my body, will allow me to let go. Is that okay darling?” Seven asked.

“Oh, yes” Kathryn responded moving in for a kiss.

She grabbed Seven and led her to the bedroom. Seven followed, slipping the robe from her shoulders and letting it slide down her skin gently to the floor.

Kathryn made quick work of cinching both of Seven’s hands to the headboard above her. Then she moved and gently tied both of her feet to the end of the bed, allowing Seven enough slack in the ropes that she could pull her legs together if she tried hard enough.

Kathryn tossed her uniform aside and lowered her body onto Seven, straddling her hips, until she could feel the heat and wetness of Seven’s core pressed against her own, she thrust forward marveling at the feel of Sevens wet lips sliding against her own.

Seven moaned and tried to press herself back up against Kathryn. “No, darling” Kathryn whispered softly into her ear. “I’m in control tonight; I’ll tell you when you can move.” She brought her lips to Seven’s long neck, biting lightly, then licking and kissing along its length.

“I’ve wondered about this” Kathryn gasped at Seven’s heat pressed against her own. She slipped her leg underneath the bound woman to gain better access of Sevens center with her own. She wrapped her other leg overtop of Sevens other thigh. She grabbed Seven’s hip and thrust herself against her lover, their wetness intermingling.

“Yes, please, more” Seven whimpered.

Kathryn worked her body up and down, letting her wet lips caress and press into Seven’s. Her pelvis pressing into Seven’s clit, both women working into a frenzy. Seven thrust herself upwards to allow Kathryn better access and a firmer point to press herself against.

Kathryn cried out jerking her body harder against Seven’s. Between the moans it was drawing from Seven and the feeling of grinding her wetness against Seven’s she couldn’t contain herself any longer.

Kathryn came hard against Seven, moaning and writhing against her. Seven followed suit pushing herself back up against her lover, the gush of fluids that followed Kathryn’s orgasm pushed her over the edge and she came, tearing the ropes that held her hands to grab onto Kathryn’s hips and drove her down to feel her hot core against her own.

Kathryn collapsed against Seven, gasping. She felt Seven’s body relax underneath her.

“Untie my legs” Seven said breathlessly dragging her nails down Kathryn’s back. “I promised to ravage you” Seven teased.

“Later, I’m not finished with you yet darling. May I?” Kathryn asked lightly grabbing the ropes that had bound Seven’s wrists. Seven took a ragged breath and stretched her long arms back out over her head. Kathryn moved to her side retying both wrists. Then crawled back on top of Seven coming to rest straddling Seven’s stomach. She leaned in caressing Seven’s lips with her own, and slipping her tongue into her lover’s mouth. Seven moaned again her pelvis pressed up in search of Kathryn.

“At any point if you want me to stop, tell me. If you stay stop I will immediately stop what I am doing and untie you. I plan to tease every inch of your gorgeous body you until you are begging to feel me inside you.” Kathryn whispered against Seven’s lips.

Seven nodded then pressed her head up to meet Kathryn’s lips. Kathryn pulled her head away “No touching, darling”. She grinned.

“Is that an order?” Seven said licking her lips.

“Yes”

“I will comply” Seven settled her head back into the pillows, biting down lightly on her bottom lip.

Kathryn pressed her body down against Seven, Seven felt the light roundness of Kathryn’s belly shoved against her. She moaned remembering that the roundness was a sign her child was growing inside of her lover. Kathryn’s body slipped up, her hot mouth wrapping around Seven’s ear. She bit lightly and ran her tongue up the length of Seven’s ear letting her breath tickle her ear. Kathryn’s hands ran gently down the opposite side of her face resting on her jaw then caressing the starburst implant. Her other hand wrapped underneath her body massaging Seven’s thigh.

“Close your eyes, just feel me” Kathryn whispered. Seven pressed her eyes shut all of her nerves already screaming for Kathryn’s hand to continue their journey.

Kathryn lifted her body, Seven whined at the loss of contact. Kathryn moved her body between Seven’s legs and nudged them further apart with her knees. The cool air against her wet center made her shutter.

Kathryn’s mouth fell against the crook in Seven’s neck, kissing insatiably, her breath against the soft skin of Seven’s neck made her hand stand on end. She took one of Seven’s breasts in her hand her fingertips rolling a soft pink nipple between her index finger and thumb. Then gripping and massaging the breast, the warmth and pressure of Kathryn’s hand made her groan. Kathryn moved her body down to take the hard nipple in her mouth sucking greedily and nibbling at the nub. Both her hands found their way to the space between Seven’s ribs and thighs and squeezed and caressed their way to Seven’s pelvis.

Seven flexed and strained against the ropes. Kathryn’s body thrust forward, flexing her pelvis against Seven, then her stomach, the chest in a wave “Oh darling” Seven cried out.

“Are you ready to beg?” Kathryn asked her voice deep and husky.

“No” Seven whimpered, forcing her body back against the bed. Kathryn could feel Seven’s stomach quivering, her legs shaking.

She kissed her way down Seven’s sternum, tracing it with her tongue. She pushed down against the heat between Seven’s legs letting her body tease Seven as she kissed, licked and nibbled until her face was resting between Seven’s thighs. She sucked and licked lightly at the sensitive space between her lover’s vulva and thigh, tracing both sides with her tongue. She breathed a hot breath against Seven’s center and let her lips lightly caress her clit.

Kathryn wrapped her hands underneath Seven, grabbing her ass in both hands, squeezing and pulling her pelvis upward. Seven gasped at the sudden forceful movement. Seven’s whole body shuddered with anticipation. She whimpered when Kathryn moved her mouth back up to her thighs. She bit at the bony protrusions and pressed her tongue into the inner edge of her thigh bone, the pressure of Kathryn’s tongue and mouth moving towards her center made Seven thrust upwards.

Kathryn grinned feeling her lover respond to every single touch. She brought her hand to rest covering Seven’s entire pubic area, the heat of her hand so close to where Seven needed it, made her back arch, and she tried to drive herself upwards in the hopes of catching a finger in her wet center.

Kathryn caressed Seven’s clit. She danced her fingers in circles around it, without applying any of the pressure she knew Seven craved. Seven’s thighs were soaked with her desire for Kathryn. Her body quaked.

“Do you want me?” Kathryn asked huskily.

“Yes” Seven moaned.

“Are you going to beg?” She asked curling her fingers with the slightest bit of pressure against Seven’s clit with the thumb a finger caressing the opening.

Seven pushed her pelvis up again, again trying to capture some part of Kathryn inside her.

“No.” Kathryn said removing her hand from the area Seven so desperately craved it to be. Seven whined again.

“You are going to have to tell me how much you want it.” Kathryn lifted her body and kissed Seven’s abdomen. She felt the ropes holding Seven’s legs and arms growing taught as her lover squirmed and stretched against her bindings.

“Please, please, I need to feel you inside me” Seven begged, whimpering.

Kathryn, obliging her lover’s pleas, slipped her hand down Seven resting it between her legs, curled her pinky back, wrapped three fingers together, and pushed them into Seven. She bent her thumb to allow the knuckle to make contact with Seven’s clit once all three fingers were thrust as far as she could get them into her Seven. Seven moaned loudly as Kathryn finally entered her. She was already nearing orgasm with Kathryn’s fingers buried in her, probing.

Kathryn slipped her fingers back until just her finger tips remained inside Seven. “Not yet” Kathryn groaned, Seven’s muscles tightening around her fingers. She moved her body until she was lying next to Seven, she captured Seven’s nipple in her mouth. She danced her tongue around it, biting and sucking lightly while she slipped her fingers slowly in and out. Sevens hips were bucking, begging for release.

“Please, I need to reach completion” Seven moaned breathlessly. “Please…” she whimpered.

Kathryn plunged her fingers back as deeply as she could get them into Seven. Her finger tips curled letting them drag against Seven’s walls. She pushed into her lover harder and faster, her own moans mixing with Seven’s. She felt Seven’s grip on her fingers tightening, she buried her hand inside holding fast while Seven’s walls closed and quaked against her. Seven’s moans thundered, drawing Kathryn into her own orgasm, while Seven’s orgasm gushed down her fingers and onto her hand soaking the bed beneath them.

The tension in Seven’s body released suddenly as she fell back into the bed, her orgasm still quaking, the muscles still gripping then releasing Kathryn’s fingers. Kathryn held the pressure inside her lover until she felt the quaking subside, and then gently slipped her fingers out. Wiping her soaked hand on the sheets she moved and unwrapped the bindings holding Seven to the bed.

She slipped into the bed alongside Seven. Seven wrapped her arms around Kathryn and buried her face against Kathryn’s chest. Kathryn met Seven’s embrace, pulling the younger woman against her.

“Are you okay?” Kathryn asked softly.

“Yes, I feel… ecstasy, thank you.” Seven answered still catching her breath.

“You never need to thank me darling, making love to you is as much for you as it is for me” Kathryn responded gently kissing Seven’s forehead.

“I’m sorry, I promised to ravage you, do you need…” Seven started.

“No, love, I don’t think I could handle another orgasm after the one I had feeling yours. Just let me hold you.” Kathryn interjected, pulling Seven tighter against her. “Rest, love, big day tomorrow”

-

 _Kyp_ Harry thought catching a glimpse of the scaly man, as Harry moved into the piano bar on the spaceport. Kyp sat at the piano his long scaly fingers moving along the keys, the sounds they produced was haunting and beautiful. Harry moved into the bar and stood in the darkness near the bar out of sight of the bright lights. He watched Kyp, something about the way his fingers moved against the keys struck Harry as almost erotic.

Harry barely noticed that the bartender had moved in front of him and was asking if needed a drink. Harry held up a hand to let the bartender know he was okay. His eyes traced the scales along the Kyp’s muscular neck and jaw. They alternated in color from a blue to teal. Kyp’s eyes were solidly focused on the piano and sheet music in front of him, orange with a red pupil.

Harry didn’t know what he would say. He replayed in his mind all of their interactions. He and Kyp had been paired to conduct repairs and upgrades to the bio-neural gel packs and the ship’s power grid. They’d spent nearly every waking hour together in the last 12 weeks and Harry had enjoyed every minute of it. He didn’t realize how attracted he was to the scaly man until 3 weeks ago. One of upgrades to the warp core the Ky were testing caused a very small explosion. It rocked the Jefferies tube they were working in. Harry was on his back working on the power grid above him and he’d found himself pinned under Kyp, when Kyp was knocked backwards from the rocking. When he found himself face to face with Kyp he had to use every ounce of self-control to not draw the other man in for a kiss.

Harry had known for a long time he was attracted to men. He’d never acted on it out of fear that his peers would think differently of him. He was the baby on the ship; he didn’t think he could afford to be perceived as anything but a strong masculine man. Kyp had disarmed him though. Harry knew Kyp admired him, he had told him so on several occasions. He was terrified though that the attraction was only on his side, but after talking to the Captain he knew he had to find out. He waited patiently near the bar until Kyp stepped off the stage.

Kyp spotted Harry immediately. Both men still wore their high-collared dress uniforms. Kyp slipped through the crowd of A’Crun, Ky, and Voyager crew members to Harry’s side.

“Harry, I am glad to see you here.” Kyp said, patting the smaller man gently on the back.

“Your playing was beautiful.” Harry said suddenly more nervous than he had ever been.

Kyp’s face lightened into a near blush, or as much blush as a scaly face could show.

“Will you walk with me, Kyp?” Harry asked, his stomach quivering.

“Of course, Harry” Kyp followed Harry from the bar and out onto the promenade.

Harry walked for a long time trying to gather her nerves, not so much as glancing back at the tall man he knew trailed him. Harry walked towards the gardens aboard the spaceport. They slipped through the doors and into a large open area covered in flowers taller than Kyp, purple, blue and green in color. Dim lights lit the pathway. Tall trees marked the edges of the garden. Harry reached the end of the pathway and realized the only way back was past Kyp.

“Was there something you wanted to talk about?” Kyp asked, standing to the side of the path so Harry could pass him if he desired.

“Yes, I just… I don’t know how” Harry muttered.

“We can just keep walking if you desire and I’ll listen when you are ready to talk” Kyp said softly.

“How are you so kind all the time? Don’t you have desires or needs of your own?” Harry asked nearly frustrated.

“I’m kind when the situation demands it. I have fought, I’ve killed when necessary. I am kind to those that are deserving of it. And desires and needs I have of course, but they cannot be forced.” Kyp replied patiently.

“I just… I can’t. I’m sorry, Kyp” Harry shook his head and moved away from the other man.

Kyp lightly grabbed Harry’s arm, just enough to spin Harry to face him.

“Harry, I know why we are here. I can sense wants and needs. Don’t forget intuition” Kyp tapped a long finger to his head.

“Then why do I have to make the move?” Harry asked anxiously.

“Because you aren’t sure, I am. I won’t force any intimacy or emotion upon someone that is unprepared.” Kyp replied his orange eyes trained down on Harry.

“You were married, you had a wife. I’ve had flings but I’ve never loved someone… not like...” Harry stopped.

“I had a wife I loved that was taken from me and every day after that I felt hopeless and lost.. I didn’t have any hope left, any desire for another. Then I met a young man from Voyager whose own hope and voracity for living struck a chord in me that reminded me of the man I used to be. Also you say wife as though that is a barrier for you. A’Crun don’t have any specific sexuality, not the way humans do. We love whoever we fall in love with. There are no gender restrictions. I suppose in human terms you could say most A’Crun are, like myself, pansexual.”

Harry stared up at the large man, unsure of what to say, what to do next.

“And you’ve never loved someone, never loved someone the way you love me and you aren’t sure what that means” Kyp said bringing his hand to rest softly on Harry’s cheek.

“Yes.” Harry’s body shivered. “How do I…what do I… I am in love with you, Kyp. How do we… I mean what’s the next step. Do you have the same feelings for me?” Harry asked softly.

“Yes, I am in love with you, Harry” Kyp said at a near whisper.

“Then…what happens next?” Harry asked still shaking.

“I wait… until you are ready.” Kyp responded, his eyes growing large then softening.

“No” Harry responded, he reached up a pressed a hand to Kyp’s face, wrapping it behind his neck then drew Kyp in for a kiss.

Surprisingly, despite the scales that covered Kyp’s body, his lips were silky smooth and soft. Harry held back a moan when he felt the man he loved lip’s slipping across his own.

-

“So, you and the Captain will be giving birth about the same time?” Tom called grabbing a replicated beer then settling in on couch next to his wife across the their small t.v.

“Yes, if our upgrades don’t get us home anytime soon at least Miral and our boy will have a friend.” B’Elanna responded rubbing a hand across her belly.

“Gods, B’Elanna I had never imagined having children, let alone two, and with an angry Klingon nonetheless” He said playfully kissing her cheek.

“Be careful Tom, pregnant Klingon’s are the angriest.” She said biting his cheek lightly.

“So our boy, what do you think of Tom Jr.?” He asked jokingly.

“Tom is an awful name.” She shot back at him with a grin.

“Actually I was thinking Fernando, it’s Spanish but it means ‘bold voyager’ and I can’t think of a more appropriate name for our child” Tom said kissing her cheek.

“It’s perfect.” B’Elanna responded jumping onto his lap. “Bedroom, now” She whispered into his ear. Her heart fluttering when he lifted her from the couch her legs still wrapped around him.

-

“I don’t think you understand. We’ve scanned this woman and this child is part Borg part human. The child produces nanoprobes freely, without any threat of being drawn into a collective. It is the first of its kind. Do you know what that could mean for us?” H’Sut yelled at the A’Crun surrounding him in his bunker.

H’Sut and his followers had taken shelter in a series of underground bunkers that the bulk of the A’Crun military were unaware existed. H’Sut was aware that the A’Crun government was weak and knew he needed to gather loyal men around him. When Pok seized control of the military and government he had moved his people underground. H’Sut knew he commanded only a small number of soldiers but with this child, growth hormones, and DNA resequencing he could be unstoppable.

“The child is by my count right around 23 or 24 weeks. She would survive a transport if we have a unit on stand-by to incubate her. With growth hormones and resequencing we can get her to a breeding stage within a few weeks. I think this is our only plan. Within a couple months we could be producing super soldiers with nanoprobe support. We could take Acrunmoge back, then Kyrag, and any surrounding planets.” H’Sut continued his soldiers still looking unsure.

“Do you honestly want to fall under the rule of a unified government under the Ky who created our species for their own selfish need?! Or do you want to support a man that can promise near immortality for your children?” H’Sut yelled, his troops cheering around him.

-

Kathryn met with the Doctor for her weekly check-up. She had noticed this morning that while her belly looked slightly swollen with the fetus inside her it appeared to be smaller than the night before.

“Um, there’s something strange here.” The Doctor said, holding his tricorder to her belly.

“What is it Doctor?” Kathryn asked concerned.

“I’m not sure, give me a moment” The Doctor went into his office and swung the door shut examine the results of his scan.

He still sat staring at the results of his tricorder. “Bridge-Doctor” he called said tapping him com-badge.

“Yes, Doctor?” Harry’s voice called back.

“Will you check the sensor logs from last night; see if there were any unauthorized transport signatures to or from the ship?” The Doctor asked.

“There is a faint transport signature at around 0400 this morning. What is this about Doctor?” Harry wondered.

“I’ll contact you again soon and explain” The Doctor responded quickly. The Doctor walked out back out of his office, his face solemn and sat next to Kathryn.

“I’m not sure what to say. “ The Doctor started. “Your child is gone.”

Kathryn’s face looked pained. “You mean, I miscarried?” She asked, her eyes swelling with tears.

“No, there’s no indication that you had a miscarriage. I mean very literally that your child is gone” The Doctor said concern spreading across his face.

“I don’t understand.” Kathryn said. “What happened?”

“I don’t know, Captain you have a small amount of internal bleeding that must be attended to but examining the sensor records it looks as though…” He paused terrified at the meaning of his own findings. “It appears your child was abducted.”


	22. Gone

Kathryn whimpered her chest rising and falling heavily. “I can’t… I don’t know…” she sobbed. Feeling faint she braced herself on the biobed, her arms stiff behind her. She let her head fall forward and tried to catch her breath. She felt herself starting to hyperventilate.

The Doctor moved to her side and lowered her until she was resting on the biobed on her side. “Breathe, Captain” he said softly, stroking her back.

“EPH and Commander Tuvok to Medbay immediately.” He called, tapping his com-badge.

The EPH materialized in Medbay. The Doctor pointed to a padd on the table beside the bed. The old women picked it up in her wrinkled hand, concern crossing her face.

“Will you…” He motioned her over to the Captain.

She nodded and moved alongside Kathryn, sitting on the edge of the bed and gently rubbing the sobbing woman’s back.

The Doctor reached up and grabbed the curtain, sliding it shut he hid Kathryn and the EPH from view of the Medbay door. Then he walked quickly into his office and dropped into his chair.

-

“Doctor” Tuvok said as he stepped into the office.

“Please shut the door, Commander” The Doctor said rubbing his hand against his temple.

“I’m afraid I have some terrible news, but first I am temporarily removing the Captain from duty. She also needs a minor surgery.” The Doctor sighed.

“Understood, what is this about, Doctor? Have the nanoprobes been rendered inactive?” Tuvok asked raising an eyebrow.

The Doctor explained that he believed the baby had been abducted.

“Some of the nanoprobes are active, most are not. They appear to be shocked by the change to her system and aren’t healing the damage” He explained.

“That is troubling news indeed. Is Seven with the Captain?” Tuvok wondered

“The EPH is, Seven doesn’t know yet. I wanted your help here, when I tell her, just in case” He answered.

“I will stand-by while you inform her.”

“Lieutenant Seven to the Medbay” The Doctor called.

-

While he waited for Seven the Doctor busied himself preparing instruments for Kathryn’s surgery.

The doors swished open, and Seven walked in, fear immediately apparent on her face at observing Tuvok standing in the Doctor’s Office and the closed curtain at the back of the room.

“Seven, come in” The Doctor said walking into the office.

She stepped through the door cautiously, her eyes darting, between the Doctor and Tuvok.

“I’ll be just outside the door, if you require me” Tuvok said, moving out into Medbay and shutting the door behind him.

-

“Lieutenant Kim- Commander Tuvok” He spoke quietly into his com-badge keeping his eyes trained on the two forms in the Doctor’s Office. Seven slipped into the chair on the other side of the Doctors desk.

“Go ahead, Commander” Harry responded.

The Doctor started talking slowly and deliberately. Seven nodded to him several times.

“We have a situation, pull all the sensor logs from the last 24 hours and analyze any unscheduled transport signatures. Get in contact with security on the spaceport, request the presence of M’Rin, Lev, and Pok in our conference room as soon as possible” Tuvok said quickly.

He watched as grief and disbelief overwhelmed Seven’s features. Tears welled behind her eyes. Without hearing what she said he could tell her voice was rising. Her grip on the arms of the chair snapped both in half, she released letting the wood splinters fall to the floor as she jumped to her feet.

“I also need you and Lieutenant Kyp to meet me in the conference room. Send Lieutenants Paris and Torres to Medbay immediately. Leave Ensigns Wildman and Icheb in charge on the bridge. And terminate all preparations for getting underway.” He said speaking more rapidly.

Seven paced back and forth in the office. Tears streamed down her face, her emotions seemed to fluctuate between rage and hopeless. The Doctor spoke slowly and softly trying to calm her.

“Also Captain Janeway and Lieutenants Paris, Torres and Seven are all off duty until further notice.” Tuvok ordered.

“On it, Commander.” Harry confirmed

Seven stood still now, her head down, hands gripping down and cracking the wood of the Doctors desk. Tuvok pushed the door open and stepped into the office.

“Is… she…here?” Seven asked between short ragged breathes.

“Yes” The Doctor replied softly.

Seven turned and tried to push her way past Tuvok. He stepped in her path and wrapped his fingers lightly around her upper arms.

“Seven I understand that you feel despair, fear, and rage but you cannot lose your temper” Tuvok said, swallowing.

“You may go to the Captain but you are not to leave Medbay without my authorization. Do you understand?” He continued, cocking his head to the side trying to catch her downcast gaze.

“Commander, someone kidnapped my unborn child!” She shouted, her words slipping out between sobs.

“Seven, look me in the eyes”

She took a deep breath and brought her gaze to meet his.

“Going on an emotionally driven rampage will not help the situation. I need to trust that you will stay here and I need you to trust that I will handle this. Will you stay here?” He asked releasing his grip.

“Yes, Commander, I must see her.” Seven said her eye lids fluttering rapidly trying to blink back tears.

Tuvok stepped aside to let her pass.

Seven rushed through the curtain to find Kathryn curled in a ball, the EPH rubbing her back. When she saw Seven enter the EPH stepped away. Seven climbed onto the biobed and wrapped her body against Kathryn’s back, sobbing against her lover.

The EPH stepped free of the curtained area. “Computer, deactivate EPH.” She ordered blinking from sight.

-

Tom and B’Elanna breezed obliviously into the Medbay laughing and joking as Tuvok rushed out.

The Doctor motioned them to a biobed just inside the door.

“What’s going on, Doctor?” B’Elanna asked.

“I just need to run a quick scan.” He answered

Tom moved to the side of the biobed and helped B’Elanna up onto it. The Doctor ran a tricorder over B’Elanna and sighed in relief.

“Everything okay, Doc?” Tom asked perplexed.

“Yes” The Doctor responded with a brief pained smile.

“We just did a scan yesterday. Why was it so important we do another today?” B’Elanna asked.

The Doctor explained what was happening with the Captain.

“Their child was taken? What the fuck?! Do we know who took her?” B’Elanna asked climbing back to her feet.

“We don’t know much yet” The Doctor answered solemnly.

“What the hell are we waiting for; we have to get her back!” B’Elanna yelled moving towards the Medbay doors.

“B’Elanna, we have to let Commander Tuvok handle this. I know you are upset but we can’t be reckless” Tom said grabbing her arms.

“The fucking Captain’s child was taken! You want me to stand by and do nothing?” She bellowed.

“No, not nothing . Just be here, be strong. You are the strongest person I know.” Tom pulled her to him and kissed the ridges on her head.

“They will need strength to help them through this and I can’t think of anyone better” Tom said planting a light kiss on her forehead.

“Commander Tuvok-Doctor, Lieutenant Torres’ scans are good. May I release them?” The Doctor asked with a tap of his com-badge.

“Keep Lieutenant Torres in medbay in case you need _backup_. Send Lieutenant Paris to the conference room” Tuvok replied.

The Doctor nodded to Tom and B’Elanna as they embraced again briefly before Tom left for the conference room.  
-

The Doctor walked over and slipped inside the curtain to find Seven and Kathryn trembling in each other’s arms.

He stood still for a moment “Seven, Captain” he said barely above a whisper. “I need to proceed with the operation. You can stay right here, Seven” he slipped a chair next to the head of the biobed.

She reluctantly stood from the bed and dropped down in the chair, her face red and streaked with tears.

Kathryn whimpered as she rolled onto her back, she turned her head towards Seven and pressed her eyes shut. Seven grabbed her hand and rested her forward on the biobed against Kathryn’s.

“Are you ready?” The Doctor asked holding a hypospray near Kathryn’s neck.

She nodded.

-

The Doctor stepped through the curtain shutting it behind him.

B’Elanna sat on the biobed, her feet dangling and rocking back and forth. Her eyes fixed firmly to the floor in front of her.

“Are they going to be okay?” B’Elanna asked teary eyed.

“The Captain’s surgery was successful. I also gave them both a sedative. When they wake I’d like to move both of them to their quarters. Would you be willing to stay and go with them to their quarters once we have moved them?”

“Of course, I’ll keep watch”

“We just need to make sure they stay put. I fear the kind of damage an enraged ex-borg with a vengeful Captain Janeway at her side could do.”

“I understand” B’Elanna said relaxing back onto the biobed. “I’ll be right here when you need me.”

-

Tuvok entered the conference room. Kyp, Tom, and Harry stood when he entered. The other chairs were occupied by Lev, Pok, and M’Rin.

Two Ky and two A’Crun security officers stood against the back wall of the room.

“Is there a security issue, Commander? I thought you were due to get underway this morning?” Pok asked cocking his scaly head to the side his red eyes sweeping the room.

“Yes there’s been an incident. The Doctor was performing a check-up on our Captain’s pregnancy this morning and found that her child is gone” Tuvok said standing at the front of the table.

M’Rin stood from his chair. “I fail to see how a miscarriage is a security incident.” He started to move towards the door.

“You misunderstand, this was not a miscarriage. According to our sensor logs the child was transported from her body.” Tuvok said correcting the small man.

M’rin turned and settled back into his chair.

-

“General, we have the child, our doctors are examining her now. With all due respect, sir, I fail to see why this is worth the risk.” R’Va called as he walked into the concrete bunker to see the larger H’Sut crouched over a control panel in sandy colored camouflage fatigues.

“Commander, I’ve explained this once already, I will not have dissent in my ranks. Now sit and monitor communications with our contact.” H’Sut said standing from the bench and using a large scarred brown scaled hand to push R’Va down onto the bench.

“Yes, General” R’Va responded his amber colored eyes flicked to the panel as he picked up the ear piece and pushed it into his ear.

“Is the stealth drive installed?” H’Sut asked.

“Yes, General.” R’Va finished turning his attention back to the monitors.

“The female Captain and her Borg have already been relieved of duty and the others are occupied trying to figure out what happened to the child. They’ll lock down Voyager and the spaceport. Once they have done that Kyre’s sensors will be focused internally and we will be able to slip the runabout back alongside Voyager and extract the others. Once we have them we will be in a better position to anticipate the human’s next actions. I know they will not stop searching for the child easily, but her value to our cause is immense. I’m heading to the ship, contact me as soon as the spaceport is locked down.” H’Sut said marching from the room.

-

Kyp glanced around the conference room, his eyes widened when he realized the enormity of danger the child’s abduction could mean to not just Voyager but also Acrunmoge and Kyrag.

“The nanoprobes” Kyp nearly shouted. “Someone must have learned the nature of the nanoprobes carried in the Captain’s baby.”

“They would be of great interest to the loyalist factions still on Acrunmoge” Pok replied immediately, tracking Kyp’s train of thought.

“How would anyone outside the ship or this room have found out about the nanoprobes?” Tom asked

“We must have an intelligence leak.” Tuvok answered “I intend to track it down.”

“A transport with the kind of precision it took to extract an unborn child would have to have been initiated from somewhere very close. Likely the spaceport” Harry added.

“Lock down the spaceport” Pok ordered, the guards at the back of the room turned and trailed out.

-

“It’s time” R’Va called across his radio to H’Sut.

“Getting underway, keep me apprised of any changes aboard Kyre or Voyager” H’Sut ordered.

He tapped at the red and black console that glowed in front of him. Large bay doors opened over the shuttle craft. Quickly firing thrusters the ship lifted through the opening. The doors slammed shut once the craft was free of the opening and moving upwards. “Shields” he mumbled to himself and typing again, and pressing a large orange button “and stealth drive”.

The hull shimmered from view as the ship launched upwards out of the atmosphere and towards Voyager.

-

“Commander Tuvok- Icheb” Tuvoks com-badge chirped.

“Yes, Ensign.” Tuvok responded.

“Three more transport signatures were detected, I am not sure what was transported or to where. I don’t see anything on the sensors and I can’t track the signal” Icheb replied.

“Shields up, Ensign. Get a scattering field around Voyager” Tuvok ordered.

“Aye, Commander”

“Lieutenant Kim, take over here I have to get to the bridge” Tuvok ordered rushing out of the room. Harry nodded.

“Do we know what the loyalists could be planning with the child?” Harry asked glancing around the table.

“I would assume the loyalists became aware that the Captain carries DNA that could be used to carry an A’Crun child. Her child will share that trait and the Borg DNA in her system allows her to produce nanoprobes naturally. She would be the Holy Grail for the A’Crun resistance against the joint government. They could manufacture a genetically superior, essentially invincible army. The A’Crun council had experimented with growth hormones, we know that much. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that if we do not move quickly they will attempt to infuse her with those hormones to create rapid maturity. They will not care if there is any risk to the child’s health. Even if she does not survive the procedure they will still have access to her nanoprobes.” Kyp explained his eyes wide with fear.

-

“They are waking” The Doctor called to B’Elanna.

She swung her feet to the floor and walked with the Doctor into the curtained area of the Medbay.

“Let’s get them up and we’ll transport to their quarters” He whispered.

The Doctor started to help Seven up and she groggily pulled herself to her feet, declining his help.

“Seven, let’s get you and the Captain to your quarters” He said.

She leaned down and gently lifted the dazed Kathryn into her arms. “I have her” Seven croaked, her throat dry and hoarse.

“Bridge-Doctor, four for a site-to-site transport from Medbay to the Captain’s Quarters” the Doctor called.

They materialized in the Captain’s Quarters just outside the bedroom. Seven moved slowly and gently to set Kathryn onto the bed. She pulled the blanket up to Kathryn’s shoulders before turning to meet the Doctor’s gaze.

Her eyes filled with tears again, her heart thumped heavily in her chest. “Doctor, I do not know what I am supposed to do, I have never experienced this level of pain…” she whimpered and covered her face with her hands.

“Seven, for now just rest. You will not be able to function rationally while you are experiencing such intense emotion. Allow me to provide you another sedative.” The Doctor said, guiding Seven backwards until she was sitting on the bed next to Kathryn.

B’Elanna moved in past the Doctor. “Let me” she said, slipping Seven’s shoes off her feet and lifting her legs into the bed.

Seven shifted her body until she was holding Kathryn’s head against her chest and wrapped her arms around her lover’s body.

The Doctor held up the hypospray and Seven nodded softly before resting her head back against the pillow.

The Doctor gave both women a quick injection with the hypospray and moved out of the bedroom.

B’Elanna leaned down next to Seven “I’ll be just out here if you need me” she whispered pulling the blanket tight up over Seven’s shoulders.

B’Elanna shut the door behind her and walked to the couch, lowering herself onto the plush cushion. She rubbed her hand against her face to brush away her own tears.

“I can’t even imagine what they must be feeling” she said cupping her face in her hand. “I wish there was something I could do.

“You are doing something” The Doctor said sitting down next to her and patting her back. “Just be here if they need you. Let Commander Tuvok know if there’s any trouble.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” B’Elanna said pulling him in for a hug.

“And let me know if I am needed” The Doctor said, walking from the room once she had released her embrace.

-

“I’ve got the others, prepare for transport to the brig” H’Sut called settling the cloaked ship back on the landing pad, the giant doors shutting over the craft.

“Ready for transport, General” R’Va responded typing at his console, he shut the doors to the brig as he watched H’Sut’s cargo materialize on the monitors overhead.

“This Ky cloak technology is something else, we will have to thank our contact for the upgrade” H’Sut said shutting the ship down.

“I’ll meet them in the brig, access is restricted to that area until I’ve had the chance to meet our guests” H’Sut ordered.

-

B’Elanna was startled awake when she heard the door to the Captain’s bedroom open and shut gently.

“Captain” B’Elanna said pushing herself off the couch onto her feet. She caught the unsteady woman, led her to the couch, and pulled the tie on Kathryn’s robe tight to hide her bare skin underneath. 

“What do you need?” B’Elanna asked softly.

“Water, please” Kathryn croaked dryly.

“Seven?” B’Elanna asked returning to Kathryn’s side water in hand.

“Regenerating” She said gulping down the water and set the empty glass on the floor next to the couch.

B’Elanna sat silently in the relative darkness of the room. Unsure of what to say or what to do, she kept her eyes turned down to the carpet. She had never seen Kathryn looking so broken.

“News?” Kathryn murmured.

“None, they finished searching the spaceport, Commander Tuvok is working on putting a plan together.” B’Elanna responded almost afraid to look at the teary steel blue eyes of the Captain.

“Gods…” Kathryn started; she brought her elbows to rest on her knees, and rested her forehead in her hands. “This is my fault, I was careless, we should’ve had more security on the ship, the scattering fields should have been active, _fuck_ …” Kathryn whimpered.

“I was so damned happy, get the ship home _finally_ , marry the love of my life, and somehow carrying that absolutely amazing woman’s child and it’s just _fucking gone_ because I let my damn guard down.” Kathryn sniffled trying to choke back tears.

“No” B’Elanna said sternly she stood from the couch and moved in front of Kathryn. She put her hand under Kathryn’s chin and pushed her face up to look at her.

“You are not going to do this to yourself, I won’t let you. You have taken care of this ship for 8 fucking years. Rescuing everyone that needed to be rescued and looking out for everyone but yourself!” B’Elanna’s voice rose.

“Nothing is lost, not until we know it’s lost. We will find your baby girl and I’ll make damn sure that those that took her are brought to justice. You’ve taken care of us for long enough it’s time for us to pay it back, we will take care of you and Seven.” B’Elanna said passionately.

Both B’Elanna and Kathryn were startled when they heard the bedroom door swing open again.

“She is right” Seven called stepping into their view.

Even through her grief and anger, Kathryn felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw Seven step out of their bedroom. Her long blond hair hung loosely at her shoulders, the silky blue robe fell gently along her curvy body. Her cerulean blue eyes framed with streaks of red, looked bluer than Kathryn had ever seen them.

“B’Elanna” Seven said softly. “Thank you, I would like a moment alone with Kathryn please”

B’Elanna nodded and moved her way out into the passageway.

Seven settled on her knees on the floor in front of Kathryn. “Do not give up hope now, you rescued me from the Borg, several times, this is a small feat in comparison. We need to trust that our collective will find Kella. I love you, I do not blame you, do not blame yourself.” She kissed Kathryn’s hands.

“We could stay here in our quarters and grieve this loss or we can compose ourselves and go help our family bring our child home” Seven said pulling Kathryn to her feet.

Kathryn nodded, knowing Seven was right. “Let’s bring our Kella home” Kathryn said kissing Seven hard.

-

“The pods?” H’Sut asked.

“They have been deactivated. The humans should be waking up shortly.” R’Va responded.

H’Sut walked through the cement block passageway, lit dimly by yellowish light bulbs suspended by wires from the ceiling.

“Open” he called when he reached the brig.

H’Sut was surprised to see all three standing on their feet when he entered. He reached down and slipped a pistol from the hostler on his hip letting it hang loosely in his right hand.

“Captain Chakotay, I have a proposal for you.” 


	23. The Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Took me a little longer to get this chapter written than the others but here it is.

“I’m no longer in command of Voyager, H’Sut, why am I here?” Chakotay asked.

“Your release is part of a deal we struck with Crewman Gerron. In exchange for freeing you he agreed to plant listening devices throughout Voyager.” H’Sut replied.

“We are not friends, H’Sut. I don’t know what the hell Gerron was thinking or what you think you could possibly have to offer me but I’m not helping you again.” Chakotay said turning his back and walking to the back of the cell, he slid his back down the cement wall until he was sitting on the dirt next to Aylo.

He heard the sounds of a phaser and watched as Goetz’ body dropped to the ground.

“You can listen or I can kill you and your other crewman, we already have what we need from Gerron. There is nothing stopping me from executing you.” H’Sut spat.

Chakotay sat motionless staring at the tall amber-eyed alien.

“Are you listening now?” H’Sut asked.

Chakotay nodded.

“We need Voyager gone from our space. The ship has been repaired and is space worthy. You’ll be able to go to any place you desire. We just need _you_ to take the ship and leave. I don’t care what you do with the crew or where you go. Take command of the ship and leave” H’Sut said.

“If the ship is repaired then why is it still here?” Chakotay asked pushing himself to his feet and dusting his pants off.

“It was due to depart this morning but we have taken custody of the Captain’s child and we intend to retain her here with us. We could destroy Voyager and completely eliminate the threat however, that will only further inflame dealings with the Ky well before we are ready.”

“The Captain’s _child?_ Did she give birth to a half ravager baby?” Chakotay asked incredulously.

“No, the child is part Borg, but mostly human. The serum allowed her to reproduce with your Borg crewmember which is why the child is so valuable to us.” H’Sut replied.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Is this a damned joke? You assholes knew my plans for her so you’re trying to, what, twist the damned knife you put in my back?” Chakotay yelled.

H’Sut brought his phase pistol up to eye level and fired another blast. Alyo’s body slumped to the ground.

“What the hell? How do you expect me to take back the ship if you insist on executing my crewmen!” Chakotay scrambled over to check the pulse of Alyo then Goetz, and shook his head.

“Another outburst and the next phaser shot is for you. We can work together if you maintain a level head, Captain. Now, Voyager is putting together an away team, they know of our Loyalist Compound, and will be launching an assault on us shortly. Their assault team will, unfortunately for them, contain all of the top officers. I have a ship with an installed cloaking device. When they land here I want you to be onboard the ship and on your way to assume command of Voyager.” H’Sut ordered.

“Even if I got on the ship, there’s no way I’ll be able to take command without executing half of the crew.”

“I don’t care what you do, as I already stated. Take command, exit our space, and we will deal with the remaining crew members on the ground. The important piece is that you do not inform the Kyre spaceport of what is happening on the ground here.”

“I don’t think you understand that crew will not follow me. You just executed the only bit of firepower that would have helped me. If I set foot onto that ship they’ll have me back in the brig as soon as I transport in. You messed up. That crew is not going to stop assaulting this compound until they have that child back. Janeway infiltrated a Borg cube to rescue Seven. Your compound, regardless of its defenses, are not going to stop those two women from getting that damn kid unless she’s dead or they are dead. I’d rather take on a Borg cube then face the combined force of those two.”

“We have the upper hand, we know what they have been planning. Are you are saying you are of no use to me?” H’Sut leveled his phaser again and held it towards Chakotay’s head.

“Wait, wait” he put his hands up. “I’ll do what you ask. Give me a small security team to escort me to Voyager, and weapons, and I’ll get the ship under my command and away from the spaceport.” He said firmly.

“I will provide you two soldiers and weapons. Don’t mess this up Captain, I expect Voyager to unceremoniously exit our space and my two officers returned to me safely. I’ll scramble an attack squadron on Voyager to destroy the ship if this does not go exactly as planned.”

“General, the Delta Flyer is away with the Voyager team. There are 7 people on board: Janeway, the Borg, Officer’s Kim, Paris, Tuvok, and the two A’Crun Lev and Kyp.” R’Va called down the passageway.

“Understood, get me 2 security officers; have them meet Chakotay and me at the runabout. Intercept the passengers as they transport in. Top priority is taking the two women into custody, execute the A’Crun, and the other three will walk into our trap. Walk with me, Captain Chakotay, and we will get you to your transport”

-

“Seven, Captain, are you ready for transport?” Harry called to the back of the Delta Flyer.

“Ready, Lieutenant” Kathryn answered shoving a phaser into each holster at her hips and slinging a rifle over her back.

“I am ready as well.” Seven added checking her weapons.

“Energize” Kathryn ordered.

The two women disappeared, materializing near the guard post at the outskirts of the compound. Tuvok had agreed to let them assist in the operation provided that they deferred to his command and were tasked with watching the compound for reinforcements.

“Commander, they are in position” Harry called to Tuvok.

“Very well, team 2, are you ready?” Tuvok asked Kyp and Harry.

“Delta Flyer - Captain, it’s a….” Kathryn’s transmission to the Flyer cut off mid-sentence.

“What was that?” Tom asked.

“I can’t re-establish coms. Neither the Captain or Seven’s com-badge are active” Harry responded.

“Nevertheless we must proceed. Lieutenant Paris, transport the rest of us in at the secondary location immediately. Then use the Flyer’s weapons to drop the compound’s power grid and get back to Voyager. If they have Chakotay, Goetz, and Aylo and had advanced warning of our plan then they are undoubtedly moving to take control of Voyager. Transport directly into the bridge and lockout the command codes.”

“Aye, Commander” Tom responded, activating the transport.

-

“Move it” The A’Crun soldier the others referred to as Chief held a phase rifle to Kathryn’s back. He yelled, pushing her ahead towards the door of a small bunker a few yards ahead of them.

They had materialized into the center of a group of A’Crun Loyalist soldiers, Kathryn’s attempts to warn the Delta Flyer had been in vain. She tapped her com-badge and started to speak before both her and Seven were relieved of the badges, they landed on the sandy ground and were crunched under the large foot of one of the soldiers.

“I hate this damned place, I’ve had more guns drawn on me in the last few months than ever before in my life” Kathryn whispered to Seven.

“Agreed” Seven whispered back.

“Shut up!” Chief yelled and struck Kathryn in the right temple with his heavy rifle, knocking her to the ground.

“Kathryn!” Seven yelled. Snapping the cuffs that held her hands, she dove beside Kathryn on the ground, and caught the rifle as it swung towards Kathryn a second time. She easily overpowered the A’Crun that attacked Kathryn, knocked him flat on his back, and wrenched the rifle from his hands.

She drew the weapon up standing with her feet on either side of Kathryn’s body.

“There’s too many, Seven. We aren’t going to fight our way out of this.” Kathryn said sitting up and pushing herself to her feet as the eight other A’Crun soldiers closed around them.

Seven huffed and dropped the rifle to the ground at her feet.

“Get them to the brig” Chief yelled, standing up and dusting off his uniform.

Kathryn and Seven were led into what looked to be a communications center. A man they called Commander R’Va was huddled over a large console, on the screens different areas aboard Voyager were displayed.

 _Bastards have been monitoring us_ Kathryn thought as she watched the screen showing Voyager’s Bridge. She watched as Tom entered the bridge and locked it down. _Perhaps the away team caught enough of my transmission to know it was a trap_ she hoped. Tom was supposed to be on the surface with the 3rd team.

Kathryn and Seven were shoved into a large cell at the back of the building. Upon entering, Seven’s eyes immediately flicked to the two lifeless forms on the floor.

“Goetz and Aylo.” Seven said moving to check for signs of life. “Dead” she added.

The doors slipped shut behind them.

“We might have a use for this one.” Chief called to R’Va eyeing the beautiful blonde Borg.

“Keep your distance, Chief. We wait for word from the General” R’Va shouted back.

Seven and Kathryn moved to the back of the cell and huddled together on the floor in the corner.

“If Goetz and Aylo are here, Chakotay must be around as well. They must be angling to take control of Voyager, although I’m not sure why the A’Crun would have killed two of his loyal soldiers.” Kathryn whispered to Seven.

“We have to get out of here.” Seven whispered back scanning the room for any weaknesses.

“Hopefully the others are aware this was a trap and are working…” Kathryn started. Seven held a single finger to her lip, her senses peaked hearing a conversation from the other room.

 _Borg senses have their perks_ Seven thought training an ear to the conversation.

“We have moved the child; they’ll be expecting to find her in the med bunker. She’s in the incubator in the backroom with the Doctor. Soldiers are in position around this bunker if they try to make a move.” H’Sut started.

The building shook with the sounds of an explosion outside. The power blinked and shut off, leaving Kathryn and Seven in complete darkness.

“Damn it, there goes the power grid!” H’Sut yelled. “Get it back online, did we get the runabout launched?”

“No, Sir, we’ll have to send a soldier to open the doors manually.” R’Va answered.

“Make it happen” H’Sut ordered. “I’ll meet you back here once we’ve gotten Chakotay’s craft underway. The soldiers conducted a brief scan of the two women in the cell before they brought them here. The Borg may be useful but Janeway’s nanoprobes are already starting to deactivate. We will execute Janeway and send the Borg to the Med bunker to be studied.” H’Sut ordered. Seven heard the sound of him walking from the bunker and the door slamming shut behind him.

“Kella…” Seven whispered to Kathryn. “I can hear her, she’s here, and she’s alive!” Seven exclaimed.

“Do you think you could bend the bars enough for us to slip out?” Kathryn asked.

“Yes, but if we escaped from the cell I do not believe we would make it from the bunker alive. I heard R’Va and H’Sut talking. We are surrounded, they plan to execute you” Seven replied.

“I don’t think we need to make it out of the bunker. Kella is valuable enough to them that they risked a full scale war with the joint A’Crun-Ky government and Voyager. If we can get to her I don’t think they would risk harming her. I don’t like the idea of using her as a bargaining chip but maybe we can gain a little ground if we get to her.”

“So your plan is to get our child and formulate a plan on the move?” Seven asked.

“Yes, make it up as we go.” Kathryn smiled feeling a small but momentary relief that their daughter was okay.

“Ready?” Seven asked moving to the front of the cell she gripped the bars, the metal groaned as she bent the bars apart.

-

“I can’t launch, the doors didn’t open!” Chakotay yelled to the two A’Crun security officers that sat behind him.

“I’ll see if I can open them manually.” One of the soldiers responded stepping out of the runabout.

“Your leaders are seriously underestimating the determination of the Voyager crew, this plan will never work.” Chakotay said turning to the man at the console behind him.

“You will do as ordered or I will be forced to execute you” The A’Crun officer responded, his eyes fixed firmly on the console.

 _Fuck this_ Chakotay thought. In one swift motion he jumped to his feet and spun around firing a phaser blast directly between the eyes of the officer.

He pulled the phaser from the thigh holster of the A’Crun officer, stuffed it into his own holster and grabbed a rifle from the back of the runabout.

 _I suppose I’ll have to get myself out of here._ He thought, stepping cautiously out from the door of the runabout. He caught sight of the other A’Crun officer scrambling up a ladder toward the release for the launch door. He pulled the rifle from his shoulder, sighted in, and fired a blast to the back of the other man’s head. His body fell lifelessly to the metal launch bay floor with a disgusting thud.

 _Fucking Ravagers_ he thought slipping the door open and stepping into the hallway beyond the launch bay.

He struggled with his emotions briefly. He knew he couldn’t go back to Voyager; there was nothing left for him there. He looked around, finding the hallway deserted he made his way for the exit. He intended to move back to the communications bunker and hoped he’d have the chance to end H’Sut.

Despite his violent past there was a time aboard Voyager where he had felt like maybe he could function without embracing the darkness inside him. He knew he had lost that chance when he attacked Kathryn. Part of his heart ached knowing that Kathryn was forever lost to him. _A child_ he thought. He quaked with anger. If she were bearing a child it should have been his.

He knew somehow deep down underneath the twisted nature of his existence that the only person he had ever really loved was Kathryn. She had stood toe to toe with him on numerous occasions. She couldn’t be bent to his will. Knowing she couldn’t be possessed by him had earned her a respect in his heart he felt for no one else. The child was innocent; he had never so much as even considered harming a child.

Against his better judgement he knew he had to make sure the child was safe. There was nothing for him here, nothing for him on Voyager, and maybe nothing else left anywhere for him. _I can make sure the child is safe_ he thought talking himself into a potential suicide mission.

-

“They just keep coming!” Harry yelled back to the men that huddled behind crates at his back.

“We need to keep trying to push forward. The medical office is only a few feet ahead through those doors to the left” Lev yelled back, spraying phaser fire down the passageway at the A’Crun forces that assaulted them.

“I have a tricobalt grenade left, just one. If I launch it we could stun them long enough to slip in” Kyp yelled.

“Do it. My phasers are overheating, we can’t hold here forever” Tuvok shouted back.

Kyp tossed the grenade. It shot a bright white light at the opposing forces. The subsequent explosion knocked several of them on their backs. The four men hustled to move inside the medical office doors. Lev and Kyp barricaded the doors behind them.

“Nothing!” Harry shouted, finding the medical bay completely empty.

“We need to find another way out” Kyp shouted his large back pressed firmly against the doors that flexed with the pounding of the A’Crun soldiers on the opposite side.

-

“Seven” Kathryn said softly, lifting the small crying bundle to her chest.

Seven released her grip on the neck of the A’Crun doctor and lowered his body softly to rest on the floor.

“Is it… our Kella?” Seven asked her eyes full of hope and wonder.

“Yes darling, it’s our girl. Gods she’s beautiful, your eyes, my hair.” Kathryn said staring down at the deep cerulean blue eyes that stared up at her, and running a hand gently through the soft red hair sprinkled over the baby’s head.

Seven rushed to Kathryn’s side, she held her arms out in front of her, her eyes begging to hold her child for the first time.

Kathryn slipped Kella into Seven’s arms. Seven cradled the newborn against her. Her eyes filled with tears at seeing this tiny form that she had helped create.

“I love you, Kella” Seven said her lips pressed to the baby girl’s forehead. She rocked the child gently back and forth in her arms, she delighted at seeing eyes just like hers staring back up at her.

“She is… perfection” Seven said softly holding a finger out for Kella to grip.

Tears rolled down Kathryn’s face seeing her lover hold _their_ child. _This is perfection_ she thought seeing the love of her life softly and lovingly embrace their little girl who cooed and smiled up at her mother.

“You know you aren’t going anywhere.” R’Va said stepping into the room.

“Put the kid down” He ordered drawing his phaser. Seven softly laid the bundle back into the cradle.

“What is going on here?” H’Sut yelled, walking in behind R’Va.

“I told you that Borg needed to be sedated, R’Va!” H’Sut shouted upon spotting the two women.

Seven seized the moment that H’Sut and R’Va were distracted, dropped to the floor and rolled, knocking H’Sut’s feet out from underneath him. She pulled the phaser from his belt and held it to his head.

“Let us go or I will kill him” Seven yelled.

“You aren’t getting out of here, even if you do kill him” R’Va responded flatly.

R’Va moved and grabbed Kathryn, jamming a phaser against her temple.

“Your call, free H’Sut and I won’t kill her. Otherwise you are walking out of here minus one child and one lover.”

She dropped the phaser and H’Sut jumped back to his feet. He moved to the child and pulled her into his arms.

“The three of you are not getting out of here. But I’ll give you a choice, Janeway…” H’Sut paused looking between the distraught women.

“Two of you can leave. Either you and the child, or you and the Borg, but I _will_ have either your child or your Borg lover.” H’Sut yelled.

“Take me, let them go” Kathryn begged seeing R’Va move to press a phaser against Seven’s head.

“You are of no use to us. So make your choice, your lover or the child. If you do not choose, I will. I will make you watch as I execute your child or your mate, before I execute you” H’Sut said.

Kathryn took a deep breath, her heart pounded in her ears. She scanned the room desperately for a way out. She looked to Seven who stood stationary and winced at the pressure of the weapon held to her head.

She saw Seven’s eyes perk up; Seven watched a man moving on the other side of the room in the dim yellow emergency lighting.

Chakotay slipped in silently and carefully making his way toward H’Sut, who still held the child.

Chakotay silently mouthed a countdown to Seven. _Three, Two, One_ he mouthed to her. He reached up and grabbed H’Sut’s head pressed it against his phaser and fired. The baby slipped from his hands and Chakotay caught the small bundle.

Seven immediately reached up and grabbed onto R’Va’s phaser, twisted his hand so it was facing him and pulled his finger to fire it.

Both men dropped to the ground.

“She’s beautiful, Kathryn” Chakotay said glancing down at the small fussy form in his arms.

“Please, Chakotay” Kathryn started afraid of what he would do next. “Please, give her to us” She pleaded.

“You know, Kathryn, I really did love you. For the very first time I loved someone other than myself.” He said, gently laying the blanketed child on the ground in front of him and moving back several feet. He tucked his weapon back into the holster.

“You can’t fix me, the things I’ve done can’t be redeemed but _fuck_ I love how strong you are. You are really one of a kind. I don’t expect to come back aboard Voyager. I know I lost that chance, all I ask is that you just let me go. Take your lover and your child and go home, and just let me go” he said softly putting his hands up in the air.

Seven moved to scoop the small child off the floor; she hoisted Kella up and wrapped her in the blankets around her.

“Go” Kathryn replied softly. “And thank you. I don’t know why you did it, but you saved us today.” She finished moving to Seven’s side and gently caressing their child’s face.

Chakotay moved towards the door very aware that this was the last time he would see Kathryn. He spun back around and added “Gerron, he was the spy, he planted the listening devices aboard Voyager. Good luck getting home, Kathryn”

Kathryn and Seven mulled around the small command center looking for weapons to fight their way from the compound, Seven clutching Kella tightly to her chest.

The doors burst open and in rushed Tuvok, Lev, Kyp and Harry. Seven and Kathryn both spun around phasers drawn.

“We’re here to rescue you” Harry said with a beaming smile.

“Looks like they don’t need rescuing” Kyp replied with a light laugh and patted Harry on the back.

“Is she okay?” Tuvok asked.

“She’s perfect” Seven replied.

“We had to climb out the ventilation ducts of the other bunker and overheard some soldiers discussing that the child had been moved here. Lucky for us, so are you.” Tuvok said raising an eyebrow.

“Voyager is standing by to transport us back, we just need to move outside so they can get a lock” Harry added.

“The guards surrounding the building?” Kathryn asked.

“Neutralized” Lev said smiling.

-

Icheb locked onto the away team and transported them to transporter room 1.

“Alright folks, let’s get Voyager ready to get underway. I want us away from this spaceport as soon as possible.” Kathryn called.

“Now is where we part” Lev said solemnly to the others that surrounded him.

Kyp moved in and drew Lev into a tight embrace. “I’ll miss you, Uncle. My place is here” Kyp said smiling and nodding towards Harry.

Each exchanged pleasantries with Lev and he stepped back aboard the transporter pad.

“Lev, it has truly been a pleasure and thank you… for everything. We’ll find our way back through here again someday and I expect by then you’ll be in charge around here. We’ll take care of your nephew and until we see you again, good luck to you and your family, and give my regards to Pok and M’Rin.” Kathryn pulled his strong scaly hand into a firm hand shake and gave it a tight squeeze.

“The pleasure has been all mine, Captain. You and yours saved my people. Good luck on your voyage home.” Lev replied.

“Energize” Kathryn called to the crewman working the transporter console.

-

Kathryn breezed onto the bridge with Seven behind her, their child cradled tightly in her arms.

“Prepare to get underway” Kathryn ordered, her Senior Officers assuming their stations on the bridge.

Kathryn settled into her Captain’s chair and glanced at Seven who stood beside her clutching their daughter. She took a deep breath, suddenly feeling the weight of the last several month’s events lifted from her shoulders. Her family was finally whole. Kella’s birth may not have gone as planned but the look of contentment on her lover’s face staring down at their tiny child in her arms made every moment of strife they had faced worthwhile. _Finally,_ Kathryn thought, _we can finally go home._

Tuvok slipped into the chair at Kathryn’s side. Kyp worked at the tactical console and grinned to Harry across the room at the operations console. Tom manned the con with B’Elanna at his back, cradling Miral in her arms. Icheb slipped into the seat next to Tom.

“Ready, Sir” Icheb called smiling at Tom.

Tom released the docking clamps and Voyager slipped away from the spaceport.

“Lieutenant Paris, set a course for home” Kathryn ordered.

-

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part II in the works already :) I'll have the first chapter up in the next couple days.
> 
> Special thanks to Melaure for Beta reading this entire story for me. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


End file.
